The settings were originally posted by Tone-Loc and he got them using a DVE calibration disk.Each set is different. That's what disks like DVE are for. ;)

So why are my "starter settings" any worse than your settings? I gave yours a try and found the others better. You tell everyone to use your LED settings and then tell them they are starter settings. I gave settings that were at least derived from HL-Txx76S set USING a DVE calibration disc. I think that these will yield better results for most people. For people that don't have a calibration disc or don't want to spend hundreds on a calibration I think these settings will give acceptable results just my .02 though.

So why are my "starter settings" any worse than your settings?Except for Sharpness > zero they aren't. You are making an issue where none exists. :)

For people that don't have a calibration disc ...... it's a modest investment for the results you can get from using one.

What I've learned from reading posts here at AVS for the past five years is that each and every TV set is different and can benefit from some form of calibration. I've also learned that each and every owner can be made happy by very different audio/video configurations. To each his own. ;)

That's what disks like DVE are for. ;)

What does something like that cost?

What does something like that cost?About $22 at Amazon.

Then what would you recommend, besides the Sony TVs people have mentioned here. (I don't buy Sony anymore.)


I recommend the Sony XXa3000. I don't see another viable choice. I saw the new Mits at Tweeter and it too suffered from a smile, not as bad as Samsung though. The JVC has the concave mirror so it is guaranteed to have geometry issues as previously documented.

The Sony a3000 is out now and few folks have it. Appears to be issue free (so far) unlike the smiling samsung. My a3000 is coming in a couple of weeks.

What exactly is the smiley face problem?

I recommend the Sony XXa3000. I don't see another viable choice. I saw the new Mits at Tweeter and it too suffered from a smile, not as bad as Samsung though. The JVC has the concave mirror so it is guaranteed to have geometry issues as previously documented.

The Sony a3000 is out now and few folks have it. Appears to be issue free (so far) unlike the smiling samsung. My a3000 is coming in a couple of weeks.
It looks like Sony has designed it well, so far. The only thing is I don't buy Sony products for reasons that I'd rather not discuss in this Samsung thread.

I'm now giving careful consideration to Mitsubishi and will do more head-to-head comparison of their 733/734 lines to the new Samsung DLPs.

To those who used or own a Samsung DLP TV, what's the quickest way to get into the menu to generate horizontal and vertical lines to look for geometry issues? Thanks.

What exactly is the smiley face problem?
You're probably new to the thread. I recommend going back several pages and looking for attached pictures that show the problem. Basically, horizontal lines, esp. around the middle part of the TV or slightly lower, seem to exhibit a curved nature, so that instead of being a straight line, it sags toward the middle, as if the line is smiling at you. The TV's smile makes the viewer frown.

To those who used or own a Samsung DLP TV, what's the quickest way to get into the menu to generate horizontal and vertical lines to look for geometry issues? Thanks.This is available in the HL-R series: Service Menu > DDP1011(L8) > Test Pattern. Hit the right arrow to move through the available patterns. Up around patterns 10 or 15, there is a group that includes a horizontal, a vertical and a cross hatch pattern. Do not know if these exist on the HL-T.

How can you get into the service menu on the HL-T?

How can you get into the service menu on the HL-T?I believe it is the same as the HL-R: Power is Off. Hit remote buttons > Mute > 1 > 8 > 2 > Power ON. (Hint: ">" is NOT a remote button.) To exit service menu, turn the power off. Use at your own risk.

This is available in the HL-R series: Service Menu > DDP1011(L8) > Test Pattern. Hit the right arrow to move through the available patterns. Up around patterns 10 or 15, there is a group that includes a horizontal, a vertical and a cross hatch pattern. Do not know if these exist on the HL-T.
Thanks, I'll write that down on a cheat sheet (along with the procedure you wrote on how to get to the service menu) and try that out on a Samsung TV at a big-box store, assuming the remote control is available!

How is the PQ on watching SD (standard definition) on these sets?

Purchased a HLT 6756W and was not happy with the PQ on SD output.
Planning on exchanging it for a HLT 6176S if the SD quality is improved.

Thanks

So another tech came out to check out my third 5676 today. And he concluded that the TV was faulty and that it should be returned/exchanged (no surprise there). He said he has seen many problems with this particular model that he concluded was due to the slim design of the case. He recommended the Sonys (either Bravia or XBR series). I'll probably go into the store tomorrow and talk to the manager again and figure out what to do. I kind of want to try the 5687 because it has a (slightly) sturdier case. What do you guys think?

I have been dealing with the Executive Customer Relations Department. I have a tech coming to look at my 3rd replacement TV tomorrow. However, we all know what he is going to say. When I spoke to Samsung they pretend that this really isn't a big issue when I know it's more wide spread. People need to call 1-800- 749-0233 and ask for the ECR Department. I am asking for them to upgrade me to the LED model because of the hassle that I have been through. If your the lucky one that is geometry problem free I'm happy for you. However, if you have this problem you should not take this lying down. I have a friend with the same problem who is looking into taking legal action because he knows 5 other people that are sitting at home with their heads tilted watching the screen. I also may jump on the legal bandwagon if Samsung doesnt handle this appropriately. Time off work, 3 replacement sets, tech calls this is a joke and I 'm not going to be the one that says well its minor I will just live with it.

OK. . 5076s here.

CANNOT get my 360 to work via VGA. No matter what I set it up on, I can NEVER get a picture (not even 480p), only "unsupported format" or something like that.

Works good over component, but I want the upscaling for movies. PC Port seems to function fine with a laptop. XBox VGA cable works hooked up to computer monitor.

Any ideas?
-------------------------- EDIT ---------------------------------------
Got it. Here's the trick. Go to a PC, hook it up to a monitor and set the Xbox resolution to 1920x1080, then go to TV and plug in Xbox 360 to VGA port. Voila. Don't set it to 1080p..

Is there a way to change video modes on this set? From 1080 I to 1080 P to 720 and so on. When I watch a dvd it looks grainy and I want the tv to do the upscaling. What do you think?

Unless something else is doing the scaling, such as an upconverting dvd player, it's already doing the scaling. These sets are fixed pixel, they only run at 1080P. If the incoming source isn't 1080P, it scales it to such.

I had a Samsung Tech out here today and he said there is no way to fix the geometry issue. This is a design flaw and tried to fix it with the service bulletin and instructions that he had in his hand. Simply stated that there is nothing that he could do and said that over time this problem is going to get worse. Well I think its time for legal action. Samsung says that if your within 5mm your within specs which is a joke.

Here's an idea, everyone that has come to this site simply stop buying these TV's and feel sorry for those that haven't come here yet.:)

I posted this message in the 67xxW thread as well, so please excuse my double post if you are reading both threads. I figured it would be good to let both thread followers know my experience with these two sets in case they weren't reading both.


Returned my HL-T6176S and picked up my HL-T6756W today. Happy to report there is no horizontal bowing, barreling or whatever you want to call it and no tilt on the image. Horizontal lines are straight as an arrow. 4:3 content does have a slight pincushion on the vertical lines... but seeing as how I don't watch much 4:3 content, it's not that big of a deal to me.

I did some slight tuning to the picture, only had a few minutes to mess with it so far. At first it had a major green push and seemed a little soft, but after a few minutes of tweaking the display is amazing. I ran a few HD-DVDs thru it (Batman, Black Snake Moan, Hot Fuzz and Children of Men to name a few). I'll upload pictures later tonight.

The only thing I do not like at the moment is that the TV is on the stand I bought for the 61, which is 23 inches high. This stand height puts the TV a little too high for me, especially when I have a low profile couch. I am going to try the stand that came with the new set and see how it works out (the supplied stand is six inches lower).

I have also yet to notice any smudges... but I will keep looking. Very happy thus far.

Wow.....I see the frustrations are still ongoing with this TV. I hope to have my problem resolved soon (replacement on Aug. 29th). Sadly, I've come to live with. I have better things to put my time into, and if you go back to the beginning of this thread you will see how much time was invested. My bowing is not that bad, but the objects on the screen that have close crossing patterns in them, flicker when a camera is panning over ( left to right). This kind of frustrates me. Hopefully the replacement will do the trick.

Just as mp3019 & many others have posted their suspicions, there isn't a fix for the bow issue & now is confirmed by Samsung Service.

:mad:Samsung Executive Customer Relations Department has been telling all that have complained that the "bow" problem was well documented and it is easy to fix; just adjust the 4 service screws at the back of the set to eliminate the "bows" forever! Don't believe a word. Samsung Service Tech Advisor Department has confirmed: No fix for bowed geometry, so, don't bother calling a tech.

They advise:
1) Listen, we don't consider curved geometry 7mm or less (about 9/32" or .2756") a problem.
2) Exchange the set until you like one.
3) Only a few people would even notice the "bow" & that's only when a channel guide or other straight-line graphics are on the screen.
4) If you're really p__ed it's simple; just get your money back. Get another Samsung product that doesn't bow, like LCDs or plasmas - or get another brand. We don't care; we just want you to be happy!
Or,
4) Shut up & enjoy the beautiful picture & go on with life.

No lie! This is what my field tech told me that his Samsung Service Tech Advisor said to him by phone from my home. (My field tech called asking for further assistance with the bow issue). And, the Service Tech Advisor was frustrated with Executive Customer Relations for having me go through 3 sets.
I'm not sure which option I'll take. So far I've had 3 Samsungs with bows & a Sony 50A2020 that had problems with dark blue blacks in dark scenes. (My BB could not replace it, as new models, A3000s, won't arrive until September 3rd. I opted to take my chances with another HLT5076S). I believe, even with the bow, I like the Samsungs' picture better. Without the bow, it would be perfect. But, as mp3019 said, it's the principal of the matter.
So, which option is right for you?

Just as mp3019 & many others have posted their suspicions, there isn't a fix for the bow issue & now is confirmed by Samsung Service.

:mad:Samsung Executive Customer Relations Department has been telling all that have complained that the "bow" problem was well documented and it is easy to fix; just adjust the 4 service screws at the back of the set to eliminate the "bows" forever! Don't believe a word. Samsung Service Tech Advisor Department has confirmed: No fix for bowed geometry, so, don't bother calling a tech.

They advise:
1) Listen, we don't consider curved geometry 7mm or less (about 9/32" or .2756") a problem.
2) Exchange the set until you like one.
3) Only a few people would even notice the "bow" & that's only when a channel guide or other straight-line graphics are on the screen.
4) If you're really p__ed it's simple; just get your money back. Get another Samsung product that doesn't bow, like LCDs or plasmas - or get another brand. We don't care; we just want you to be happy!
Or,
4) Shut up & enjoy the beautiful picture & go on with life.

No lie! This is what my field tech told me that his Samsung Service Tech Advisor said to him by phone from my home. (My field tech called asking for further assistance with the bow issue). And, the Service Tech Advisor was frustrated with Executive Customer Relations for having me go through 3 sets.
I'm not sure which option I'll take. So far I've had 3 Samsungs with bows & a Sony 50A2020 that had problems with dark blue blacks in dark scenes. (My BB could not replace it, as new models, A3000s, won't arrive until September 3rd. I opted to take my chances with another HLT5076S). I believe, even with the bow, I like the Samsungs' picture better. Without the bow, it would be perfect. But, as mp3019 said, it's the principal of the matter.
So, which option is right for you?
Well stated Derg. The funny thing is thats what the Samsung tech told me exactly. For Samsung to say 7MM is within specs is unacceptable. I decided to return it for a Mits or Sony. I like the Mits WDY657 from CC. Anyway for you guys with geometry problems you should consider legal action as this is a widespread problem with NO FIX and Samsung is saying you just have to deal with it if it's only 7MM which is over 2 inches. If someone thinks thats a normal thing to say from Samsung maybe I'm missing the boat. Did anyone ask the ECR to upgrade them to the LED model? Probably not a chance in hell. After what the Samsung tech and Samsung ECR has stated, I am running not walking away from any Samsung products. If you have this problem my advice is that we work hard for our money why should you have to deal with a design flaw and live with it.

Anyway for you guys with geometry problems you should consider legal action as this is a widespread problem with NO FIX and Samsung is saying you just have to deal with it if it's only 7MM which is over 2 inches.Maybe you should double check your decimal before you go to court.

7 Millimeter = 0.27559 Inch

In the past I've seen Samsung quote 5 mm and 6 mm, but in any case it's about a quarter inch.

Just as mp3019 & many others have posted their suspicions, there isn't a fix for the bow issue & now is confirmed by Samsung Service.

:mad:Samsung Executive Customer Relations Department has been telling all that have complained that the "bow" problem was well documented and it is easy to fix; just adjust the 4 service screws at the back of the set to eliminate the "bows" forever! Don't believe a word. Samsung Service Tech Advisor Department has confirmed: No fix for bowed geometry, so, don't bother calling a tech.

They advise:
1) Listen, we don't consider curved geometry 7mm or less (about 9/32" or .2756") a problem.
2) Exchange the set until you like one.
3) Only a few people would even notice the "bow" & that's only when a channel guide or other straight-line graphics are on the screen.
4) If you're really p__ed it's simple; just get your money back. Get another Samsung product that doesn't bow, like LCDs or plasmas - or get another brand. We don't care; we just want you to be happy!
Or,
4) Shut up & enjoy the beautiful picture & go on with life.

No lie! This is what my field tech told me that his Samsung Service Tech Advisor said to him by phone from my home. (My field tech called asking for further assistance with the bow issue). And, the Service Tech Advisor was frustrated with Executive Customer Relations for having me go through 3 sets.
I'm not sure which option I'll take. So far I've had 3 Samsungs with bows & a Sony 50A2020 that had problems with dark blue blacks in dark scenes. (My BB could not replace it, as new models, A3000s, won't arrive until September 3rd. I opted to take my chances with another HLT5076S). I believe, even with the bow, I like the Samsungs' picture better. Without the bow, it would be perfect. But, as mp3019 said, it's the principal of the matter.
So, which option is right for you?

In the words of Yankees legend Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto (RIP), holy cow! I think that all but rules out a Samsung TV for me, at least HL-Txx76S. :( I'm now leaning toward Mitsubishi and will audition their TVs today, assuming the big-box stores have their 2007-2008 models on display. Thanks for the update.

Anyway for you guys with geometry problems you should consider legal action as this is a widespread problem with NO FIX and Samsung is saying you just have to deal with it if it's only 7MM which is over 2 inches.Maybe you should double check your decimal before you go to court. ;)

7 Millimeter = 0.27559 Inch

In the past I've seen Samsung quote 5 mm and 6 mm, but in any case it's about a quarter inch.

Maybe you should double check your decimal before you go to court. ;)

7 Millimeter = 0.27559 Inch

In the past I've seen Samsung quote 5 mm and 6 mm, but in any case it's about a quarter inch.
Sorry for the error HTWAITS but thats really not the point. Before I decided that I would not even give Samsung the time of day, I spoke to a very reputable class action attorney that is well versed on this issue and said you all have a great case. Thankfully, I'm switching brands as I will not settle for a known problem but to eachs own.

Maybe you should double check your decimal before you go to court. ;)

7 Millimeter = 0.27559 Inch

In the past I've seen Samsung quote 5 mm and 6 mm, but in any case it's about a quarter inch.

Yes. Definitely not 2 inches.;)
I read this information off of the 13 page Samsung Service Guide for HL-Txx76SX HDTVs that was faxed to the field tech's shop & brought to my home. In any case 7 Millimeter (0.27559") is quit a bit.

Sorry Before I decided that I would not even give Samsung the time of day, I spoke to a very reputable class action attorney that is well versed on this issue and said you all have a great case.

Not surprising. The only winners in a class action lawsuit are the attorneys.:p

In any case 7 Millimeter (0.27559") is quit a bit.Our 2004 RPTV has about .25" on one side of a 3x4 SD image and maybe half that on the other vertical edge. When watching any full screen or full width image that's not a test pattern, it's impossible to see. It's hard to find any examples of RPTV that don't have some bowing. The trick is to find one that has a small enough amount that the owner doesn't become obsessed with it. ;)

they are going to send another unit to me,,,this will be my 3rd HLS/T.We'll see.

Bill

Well stated Derg. The funny thing is thats what the Samsung tech told me exactly. For Samsung to say 7MM is within specs is unacceptable. I decided to return it for a Mits or Sony. I like the Mits WDY657 from CC. Anyway for you guys with geometry problems you should consider legal action as this is a widespread problem with NO FIX and Samsung is saying you just have to deal with it if it's only 7MM which is over 2 inches. If someone thinks thats a normal thing to say from Samsung maybe I'm missing the boat. Did anyone ask the ECR to upgrade them to the LED model? Probably not a chance in hell. After what the Samsung tech and Samsung ECR has stated, I am running not walking away from any Samsung products. If you have this problem my advice is that we work hard for our money why should you have to deal with a design flaw and live with it.

I agree...but 7mm is a lot less than 2 inches..it's just about a 1/4 inch

Not surprising. The only winners in a class action lawsuit are the attorneys.:p

I'm up for a class action law suit. If someone gets the details...I'm in.

Hi guys..

I just got a HL-T6176S from Circuit City today.. have 30 days to take it back if need be.. I chose this over the LED, beginning to think maybe i should not have..

Maybe its just minor, but I too get the bowing effect, and yeah its mainly visible in menus or say at the beginning menu in oblivion with the title bar and such.

I still find it unacceptable.. from reading this thread there may be a screw fix? If not, samsung generally doesnt come out and fix it in the end? Or in my case.. the firedog crew would come out during first 30 days.

Can anyone point me to what the optimal settings have been for my model tv? Does anyone run the game modes for gaming or if so.. just the standard one for all games?


I'm beginning to think maybe i should swap it out for an LED instead.. though i'd lose the free xbox 360 i got at CC in the deal (because i would price match with the LED)..

Hi guys..



I still find it unacceptable.. from reading this thread there may be a screw fix? If not, samsung generally doesnt come out and fix it in the end? Or in my case.. the firedog crew would come out during first 30 days.



You didn't read it close enough. Read it again to find out what happens when an attempt at a fix is done. :(

You didn't read it close enough. Read it again to find out what happens when an attempt at a fix is done. :(

Yeah.. i've heard it gets worse?

I did find the 4 screws in the back for adjusting.. not helping much.. i also noticed it helped slightly to put a piece of paper or cardboard under the center of the unit (our table may be slightly bowed itself)..

there is NO FIX, otherwise mine woud have been fixed instead of them sending me 2 new ones.

there is NO FIX, otherwise mine woud have been fixed instead of them sending me 2 new ones.

So yours got better with the replacements?

Does this bowing problem exist with the LED version?

Yes, it exists in both the lamp and LED versions.

As far as general settings goes.. it appears the recommendations were to leave all "other" settings to "off" for best picture..

Did this include things like Dynamic contrast, the noise filtering settings and other ones like that too (off)?

I noticed the 3d port in the back.. is that for 3d glasses of some kind? Haven't heard much on that or for what they would be for.

Also.. I have comcast (HD).. when going from HD stations to regular non HD 4:3 stations, it seems you have to press the Psize button to change it to wide mode for 4:3 and back to 16:9 for the HD stations.. I guess there is no way for it to autoadjust on the fly?

Cheers

No i have not gotten a good set yet...that other input is for a JPG viewer

Well, it will not be long before I finally get a new HDTV. I realize now that its probably not a smart decision to get a samsung DLP atm. I really wish someone could tell me if the costco and sam's club models have nay bowing issues...and if not...if the PQ is equal or less. I already know its only 2 HDMI inputs.

Thing is I plan on hooking my alienware up to my DLP. So the LAST thing I need is to be surfing the internet and reading everything on a downward slope..that would drive me crazy.

Even worse is that the PC inputs for the Sony a2020 and a3000 as far as I ahve heard do not have good PC inputs.

All this is pretty gay. I may very well end up getting a smaller Samsung LCD.

Most of these RPTV's have some issue with PC inputs....overscan, underscan, or worse. The thing isn't to blame the TV, it's to figure out how to make it work for you. Most of the time, it's nothing a good video card won't fix.

Well, it will not be long before I finally get a new HDTV. I realize now that its probably not a smart decision to get a samsung DLP atm. I really wish someone could tell me if the costco and sam's club models have nay bowing issues...and if not...if the PQ is equal or less. I already know its only 2 HDMI inputs.


I recently returned my 6176S and picked up the 6756W (costco model). I could not be happier. If you look back a few pages (I don't recall where) I posted photos of my 6176S and the picture was bowed and titled horribly. My 6756W is just the opposite and I highly recommend checking it out. The PQ is awesome, no bowing, no barreling.... at least in my case. The set also has a much better build quality IMO. The casing is much more durable and thick.

Here's a pic of the 6756W. The grain is from the camera, not the TV:

http://www.craighanna.com/samsung/IMG_1390.JPG

Do you have the specs on that set, specifically HxWxD and weight? Could be useful to compare to that of the 6176.

Yea, you can find all the specs on the Samsung USA site (http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/subtype/subtype.do?group=televisions&type=televisions&subtype=dlptv)

W-H-D

61" = 55.1" x 35.8" x 11.5" (inch), 74.1 lbs

67" = 62.4" x 44.2" x 17.8" (inch), 97.9 lbs

For comparison, here is the same for the 6176s.

55.1x35.8x12.3
74.5 lbs

That's not what I expected at all. I expected a thicker set that weighed more, to more closely match the previous models of both Samsung and others that didn't show such radical geometry issues. It makes me suspicious on how different these sets may be.

Can anyone comment on the best Cable HD setting to use.. ie: 720p or 1080i? I'm assuming 1080i, as the unit is capable of this. I have comcast, 6412 series III DVR/hd unit, it has options to set to 480, 720, 1080i...

Is there any options in either the cable box or the tv, to automatically expand the 4:3 stations (non HD) to the "wide" mode, filling the screen.. or does everyone just watch these stations with the 4:3 image scrunched up in the middle?

Thanks

I went to BB yesterday to compare Samsung and Mitsubishi DLP TVs. The Samsung HL-T6176S was clearly brighter, but a little redder than the Mitsubishi 65733. I admit its stock super bright settings makes Samsung look better. Both TVs distort the picture when the screen is pushed in, but Samsung was a little worse. Both TV's cabinets look nice. I turned down the contrast ratio on the Samsung (initially set to 100) and turned it up on the Mitsubishi. Even then, the Samsung was still brighter. I ran out of time before I could also adjust brightness and other settings.

Yea, you can find all the specs on the Samsung USA site (http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/subtype/subtype.do?group=televisions&type=televisions&subtype=dlptv)

W-H-D

61" = 55.1" x 35.8" x 11.5" (inch), 74.1 lbs

67" = 62.4" x 44.2" x 17.8" (inch), 97.9 lbs

Is the TV's "foot" the same size as the HL-Txx76S' even on the Costco version of these Samsung TVs? TIA.

I am in the market for a 56 inch-ish size RPTV. As luck would have it, I walked into a BB in West Windsor, NJ today. They had next to each other, a new 60" Sony A3000, HLT6176S, and Mitsubishi WD-65733. These were my top 3 choices.
Anyhow, the brightest picture is the HLT. However, the A3000 is only marginally less so, and unless you had them side by side, you would not know the difference. While watching text on the screes (they had a HD baseball feed), the A3000 was sharper than the HLT, whcih was in turn sharper than the WD. The A3000 sharpness was more than slightly sharper than the HLT and clearly much better than the WD. I could not detect any bowing on the HLT, but did not have time to spend and could not paly with them. While I was there they unboxed a WD 73733 and put it on display (no adjuating or anything, just took it out of the box and put it on the stand an turned it on) and it was clearly the poorest of the lot, by a wide margin. This may have something to do with the size.
The only negative with the SOny is its size. While it has a thin bezel, like the HLT, it is very tall, and I have a space problem fitting it into a big entertaiment center.
Decisions, decisions :(

I got my 5676S delivered last Sat, and I am loving it so far! HD (over the air, HDDVD, Bluray) looks amazing, and even SD looks 10x better than on my previous 5 year old Hitachi 51UWX. I haven't seen the pincushion or bowing effect yet. FYI, I found these settings in a different Samsung thread they set for the 5676, they made a difference in my picture:

Mode: Movie
Contrast: 27
Brightness: 51
Sharpness: 40
Color: 65 (i thought that seemed high, calibrated 3 times, approx same value)
Tint: G:55 R:45
Color Tone: Normal

Everything Else Off

The only problem I am having is getting my Harmony 676 to switch HDMI inputs correctly when switching activities but that is no fault of this TV. I'm one happy customer so far.

Do these settings work well on the 61" (HL-T6176S)?

got my HLT6176S on Saturday from Amazon. There was a very minor bow, I did not measure it yet, but to me it was only slightly noticeable when watching letterbox material. The bowing was not enough to be noticeable on 16:9 material. I noticed that applying slight pressure to the top of the TV actually completely eliminates bowing. I could probably put a decorative clock, or a lightweight STB , or perhaps a rear facing low profile backlight on top of the TV and have perfect geometry, and be done with it. There was a bit of rotation to the picture, but again only noticeable with letterboxed material. I played some upscalled DVDs with my xbox 360 and VGA cable, looks awesome. Grayscale in gears of war is awesome. I was prepared to keep this TV as the picture is awesome, however, I ran into other problems.

After watching the TV through Saturday and Sunday, I noticed strange noises when turning on the TV Sunday night. As far as I can guess, the ballast was making some medium-high pitched "screeching" noises as it attempted to turn on the lamp. That night it would screech 2 -3 times before successfully turning on the lamp. From there, the picture looked fine, but there was now a noticeable electric hum. Not loud or even distracting with the TV at normal volumes, but definitely noticeable in a silent room, and I'm almost certain this is more so than earlier that afternoon. I tried again this morning, and it seemed to turn on just fine. I turned it off, waited for the lamp to turn off, and turned it on again, screeching is back, although it turns on with only a "half screech" rather than the 2 - 3 consecutive screeches it did last night.

*sigh* I got a set with great picture quality and serviceable geometry (to my eyes at least) but now I've run into a completely different issue.

Anyone know if there are other TVs in the same price range that have comparable black and contrast levels?

I recently returned my 6176S and picked up the 6756W (costco model). I could not be happier. If you look back a few pages (I don't recall where) I posted photos of my 6176S and the picture was bowed and titled horribly. My 6756W is just the opposite and I highly recommend checking it out. The PQ is awesome, no bowing, no barreling.... at least in my case. The set also has a much better build quality IMO. The casing is much more durable and thick.

Here's a pic of the 6756W. The grain is from the camera, not the TV:



Yo man thats aweeesome news. I am afraid the samsung site has some of their spec sheets incorrect. They say that the HLT6176s does not have a VGA input. Although they say the HLT6156w has one. the PC input is the vga input right?

HLT6176S http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/spec.do?group=televisions&type=televisions&subtype=dlptv&model_cd=HLT6176SX/XAA&fullspec=F

HLT6156W http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/spec.do?group=televisions&type=televisions&subtype=dlptv&model_cd=HLT6156WX/XAA&fullspec=F

The Sound Effect system on these two sets are different aswell. the 6176s has TruSurround XT and the 6156w has DNSe. I really don't know which is better.

BTW dude since you have had both sets can you tell me if there is any difference in PQ. Did the slim version have any advantage at all?

Also I know the Costco/Sam's Club models come with stands. How much did you pay for yours? Also I don't want the one that has been on display...do they usually have packages with the stand and all? and do they cost more?

Thanks.

I just bought a hl-t6176s today at CC. They matched the amazon price so it was good enough for me. I am picking it up tomorrow. I am a little concerned with all the issues I have been reading about so I will post the results when I fire it up.


I didnt think CC matched online pricing from non-brick n morter stores? (i called them and asked on the phone, they said they dont match online only stores). I hadn't thought of trying to price match with amazon? (If i did price match, they said they couldnt give me the free 360 which came with their store price)...

you're right, the samsung spec page is wrong, the HLT6176s does consider the vga input as the "PC Input" in the menus.

the sound effect systems are "virtual surround" systems, and I think most people leave the processing off anyways. If possible you'll probably want to hook up an audio receiver and external speakers anyways, as the built in 10 watt speakers are kinda flimsy and start to distort at higher volumes.

Has anyone ever directly compared the Picture quality of the HL-T6176 and a Sony KDS 60A2000 or 60A2020 (same units, just different casing)..? I'm curious which most have found better looking?

Thanks

Does anyone know if there is a lamp hour counter somewhere in the Service Menu? I heard there may be, but wasnt sure under which service menu item it would be?

Also.. is it true if i access the SM, i will lose all my settings (back to factory)?

Cheers

Has anyone ever directly compared the Picture quality of the HL-T6176 and a Sony KDS 60A2000 or 60A2020 (same units, just different casing)..? I'm curious which most have found better looking?

Thanks

I was all set to buy a Sansung till this bowing issue became a problem with their new model. I went back to doing research and at BB looked at the Sony and the Samsung side by side. IMHO both are great sets and have awsome HD, the Sony had a bit better SD, the colors may have been a bit brighter on the Samsung but almost too much so IMHO. I went with the Sony and could not be happier. Great HD picture, after adjustment the Colors pop just like the Samsung, Blacks are inky black with great shadow detail. What surprised me most was that SD was actually good to great in some cases. The non digital is good but the digital channels HBO etc.. are very sharp. IMHO with the bowing problem I am not sure why anyone after reading this board would roll the dice on the Samsung till this issue is resolved. I love reading "I just got my Samsung after reading the board and I also have the bowing issue" DUHHHH of coarse you do the majority have had this problem but that does not stop some rolling the dice. The Samsung picture is not all that.. Some make it to be oh my god WOW IMHO it is no better that the Sony especially with the geometry issue. If it were not for that I too would be a proud owner of a Samsung. I wanted it mainly to get 1080P on all inputs.. Good Luck with your decission..

Has anyone ever directly compared the Picture quality of the HL-T6176 and a Sony KDS 60A2000 or 60A2020 (same units, just different casing)..? I'm curious which most have found better looking?

Thanks

I did, side by side at CC. I bought the HLT. The guy even let me plug the same BR player into each one. I found the HLT to be way better with the HD content. At first, the sony looked better but that was with each running their respective demo disks. Once the playing field was even the sammy left it in the dust (way better color and contrast, the picture popped off the screen)

p.s.

I am one of the few that has one without issues (knock on wood), so we are out here.

IMHO it is no better that the Sony especially with the geometry issue.

All our opinions differ. IMHO the sammy was better and noticeable better with the same source played in both. Not saying the sony wasn't nice, it was, and it was my second choice, I just thought the samsung picture really came alive more than the sony, again just my opinion.

On another note, I have a VERY sturdy solid wood media stand. I think this helps, becuase the case is not super strong.

BTW dude since you have had both sets can you tell me if there is any difference in PQ. Did the slim version have any advantage at all?

Also I know the Costco/Sam's Club models come with stands. How much did you pay for yours? Also I don't want the one that has been on display...do they usually have packages with the stand and all? and do they cost more?

Thanks.


IMO the PQ is just as good if not better. However, I spent a lot more time tuning the 67 as the 61 just pissed me off to no end with the bowing issues. I have to say though, out of the box, popped in Batman Begins and Hot Fuzz HD-DVD and was giddy with the PQ. My friend who helped unload the TV had the same reaction (he has the Sony KDSR60XBR2) and couldn't get over the PQ.

I paid $2499, I think. haha. My wife paid for it. They only had one left and she works right by the Costco so I asked her to go pay for it and I'd go pick it up in a few days. I do know that we couldn't use the $400 off coupon since we were a few days late... I didn't even know the coupon existed until I saw some people on here talking about it.

Just call your local Costco and check the stock levels. I would never buy a TV that has been on display. I am sure they can tell you just how many they have in stock. Yes, mine was packaged with the stand... which to my dismay they had stored on top of the TV box! I figured I was in for bowed TV round two upon seeing them wheel it out like that. I don't know if Samsung sends the combo to Costco like that or what, but the stand was strapped to the top of the TV like it came from the factory that way... who knows.

Yes, the stand was included with the price of the set. I haven't put it together yet as I have the TV sitting on the stand I bought for the 61. I am going to swap them out this weekend tho and see what the supplied stand, which is 6 inches lower, looks like.

I'll try to take some better pictures of the screen as well. The ones I posted earlier are terrible. I'll get around to it one of these days.

Hope this helps....

This may be a dumb question.. but.. is the usb port limitted to just usb flash drives? Or.. can You hook up a 4-6 usb cable from there to a PC and then somehow browse the PC for images to display and firmwares to update to?

I'm guessing its just jump drive able only.

Does accessing the service menu cause all settings in the tv to be reset to factory? All of my contrast , brightness, etc reverted...

I chose the first service menu .. options.. then noted the lamp hours.. it too was reset.. before it was 14, now its 3... then i simply powered off the tv and back on...

Is there some way to check lamp life without resetting?

IMO the PQ is just as good if not better. However, I spent a lot more time tuning the 67 as the 61 just pissed me off to no end with the bowing issues. I have to say though, out of the box, popped in Batman Begins and Hot Fuzz HD-DVD and was giddy with the PQ. My friend who helped unload the TV had the same reaction (he has the Sony KDSR60XBR2) and couldn't get over the PQ.

I paid $2499, I think. haha. My wife paid for it. They only had one left and she works right by the Costco so I asked her to go pay for it and I'd go pick it up in a few days. I do know that we couldn't use the $400 off coupon since we were a few days late... I didn't even know the coupon existed until I saw some people on here talking about it.

Just call your local Costco and check the stock levels. I would never buy a TV that has been on display. I am sure they can tell you just how many they have in stock. Yes, mine was packaged with the stand... which to my dismay they had stored on top of the TV box! I figured I was in for bowed TV round two upon seeing them wheel it out like that. I don't know if Samsung sends the combo to Costco like that or what, but the stand was strapped to the top of the TV like it came from the factory that way... who knows.

Yes, the stand was included with the price of the set. I haven't put it together yet as I have the TV sitting on the stand I bought for the 61. I am going to swap them out this weekend tho and see what the supplied stand, which is 6 inches lower, looks like.

I'll try to take some better pictures of the screen as well. The ones I posted earlier are terrible. I'll get around to it one of these days.

Hope this helps....

Yeah that helps out alot! Anyways where do you live btw?

Also I know with the HL-Txx76s series many said that these tvs are alot more user friendly than the previous HL-Sxx87w series and that alot of the advanced menu options had been moved from the service menu to the main menu for the tv. I hope the same is of the costco and sam's club samsung models. Also the overscan feature that was in the SM on the 87W models is now in the regular menu I believe on the HLTs...I hope that has not change with the 56W models either.

Finally as far as PQ goes one thing that has bothered me since this thread was started is the fact that...

NO ONE has said the PQ on the new HLT samung DLPs looks better than the previous HLS models. Few have said its a little worse. And some have said its on par.

Seriously I am starting to think if this is true....why dint they even make a supposedly new series??

...

Finally as far as PQ goes one thing that has bothered me since this thread was started is the fact that...

NO ONE has said the PQ on the new HLT samung DLPs looks better than the previous HLS models. Few have said its a little worse. And some have said its on par.

Seriously I am starting to think if this is true....why dint they even make a supposedly new series??
I am coming from an HLR. The picture quality on the HLT is notably better. Every year they make a new model that has a few features but not necessarily better PQ.

Yeah that helps out alot! Anyways where do you live btw?

Pittsburgh.

Sorry can't comment on last year series... never checked them out.

I think the PQ on the HLT6176S I received was awesome, I don't have much experience with their older models but this set's shadow detail was great. Too bad it makes funny noises everytime I turn it on now... I went to my Costco looking for their Samsung DLPs, and they only had the 67". This is too wide to fit in my setup and also a bit over my budget. Does anyone following this thread know how the Toshiba 65hm167 or 57hm167 sets compare to these Samsungs in terms of PQ, specifically contrast, grayscale, and shadow details?

The first post mentions:

Q: Is Samsung finally doing 3:2 pulldown correction for 1080i sources to get back the 1080p/24 signal (used to only work for 480i). Does the 120 Hz refresh rate compensate for this?

A: Not yet known.

Do we have an answer yet? Is the refresh rate really 120 Hz? Thanks.

Pittsburgh.

Sorry can't comment on last year series... never checked them out.

Greetings from a fellow burger.

I picked up my set at the monroeville CC.

Curious.. has anyone compared the brightness of the LED vs the lamp version of the 61" tv? I thought I read somewhere here, that the light level dips sharper on the vertical with the LED tv than the lamp based one. I also thought i read that the brightness of the LED is a little less than the lamp.. any thoughts? I still have the lamp version as of now, but have been contimplating making a swap while i can.

Also.. anyone know what the xbox 360's 1080p mode puts out.. is it 24, or 60 etc.. and which is more common/best?

Thanks

Curious.. with my Samsung 61" tv.. running xbox 360 at 1080p.. the game of table tennis.. if you play with Jesper.. wearing his yellow shirt.. I see a little bit of a halo outside of the edge of the shirt.. i'm wondering if this is just the game or if my tv settings are off.. or my component cables may be not so hot.. anyone have the game and can check that on their hdtv?

Thanks

I'm trying to decide between the hlt5076s and the hlt5087s. I know the main difference is the LED light engine and not having to replace bulbs. I'm just wondering whether or not it's worth paying more for the LED model. Any suggestions?

I'm trying to decide between the hlt5076s and the hlt5087s. I know the main difference is the LED light engine and not having to replace bulbs. I'm just wondering whether or not it's worth paying more for the LED model. Any suggestions?
I heard..(not sure if true), but the LED is not user replacable, and is QUITE pricey. Longer lasting, but requires a tech and a lit more money to change, where a bulb is $135 on ebay and I can replace it. :) I bought the bulb version and LOVE it. The picture is on these is so good and VERY tweakable to taste.

I have had the bowing issue on my set.. bottom 3rd of the screen.. 5-8" in on each side about 1/2" curvature... The CC manager tried to say it was my table top being uneven.. so i had the CC guys take my set out to the garage concrete floor.. same issue.. they then tried 2 other tv's, including the LED set and the same bowing issue was there.

So i decided to give samsung a try.. Calling them.. they will be sending a field tech out next tuesday and they state (something i thought i heard before).. that all that is needed is a simple mirror adjustment.

Has anyone had the Bowing (smiley) issue and had a samsung tech SUCCESSFULLY fix the issue with mirror adjustments?

If this fails, it looks like I'll be switching to Sony.

Thanks

Has anyone had the Bowing (smiley) issue and had a samsung tech SUCCESSFULLY fix the issue with mirror adjustments?

If this fails, it looks like I'll be switching to Sony.

Thanks

I don't recall anyone having success with a tech. In fact, a few of them just made it worse. I've been advising people new to this set to just stop buying them and encourage anyone who has recently bought a set to return it. It's very much my opinion that all of these sets have this problem, whether or not it has presented itself so far.

Mark,
Don't waste your time!!!!!! I have been through three sets and two techs from Samsung. On both ocassions the bowing became worse and I have been in a battle with Samsung ever since. GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN! Soon you will see a thread for a class action lawsuit this is an easy case but not worth the time and effort and Samsung knows that people don't have the time for this legal BULL for a tv. I know so many people that have this problem and they all returned their tv's for a Sony or Mits.

mp3019,where these real samsung techs,or subs brought in for warranty work through samsung. do you really think there is no hope for the bowing issue? Mine isnt bad enough to return it for the price I paid for the 67. but i think sooner or later they will have a fix for it. Someone with some actual knowledge is gonna have to come up with it though.its hard to tell how long it will be until the right person at samsung will have this land on their desk

You guys REALLY need to look into the samsung HLT6156w over at Costco or Sam's Club. It appears absolutely NO BOWING is on these sets. Same HDTV generally only its not slim...I mean...is slim THAT important...I mean its just 7 inches deeper.

BTW Im anxious to see more pics from the owner of the HLT6156W!!

Same HDTV generally only its not slim...I mean...is slim THAT important...I mean its just 7 inches deeper.

BTW Im anxious to see more pics from the owner of the HLT6156W!!

Are you sure about that? I asked an owner to list the size specs and they match up nearly perfect to that of the 6176.

Dump the HL-T if you have the bowing, don't bother trying to fix it because it can't be fixed, period. It's poor build quality. I went through 3 of them and then got my money back. Enjoying an issue free Sony now.

Dump the HL-T if you have the bowing, don't bother trying to fix it because it can't be fixed, period. It's poor build quality. I went through 3 of them and then got my money back. Enjoying an issue free Sony now.

Yeah.. I suppose.. though I liked this unit because i have a height issue.. i can put a set in there about 36" high (only).. anything more and it wont fit.. Hence this unit was perfect.. or the Toshiba 65" even fits, but its PQ wasnt as nice.. The Sony 60" was my other option, but its a bit too tall too.

mp3019,where these real samsung techs,or subs brought in for warranty work through samsung. do you really think there is no hope for the bowing issue? Mine isnt bad enough to return it for the price I paid for the 67. but i think sooner or later they will have a fix for it. Someone with some actual knowledge is gonna have to come up with it though.its hard to tell how long it will be until the right person at samsung will have this land on their desk
Yes, they were actual Samsung Techs with the service bulletin in their hand for this specific problem. They said not only that they can't fix it but the problem will get worse as time goes by. I'm not sure why they said that but they did. You can see other people here feel the same way. I believe there is no hope for this issue because it is a design flaw in the cabinet to answer your question. Also, this issue is not getting to the right person because people are just returning the sets rather than call Samsung ECR and telling them that this is totally unacceptable.

Apparently, I'm making up the problem this year's HLT's have with bowing and basing my assumption on a "few" disgruntled customers.:confused:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11400695&postcount=12

Don't worry. I will continue to advise anyone that attempts to buy an HLT that this problem is prevalent, that it is common, and that they are likely to run into it. I will also keep advising them that, despite that, it is still a good set.

I just went to BB to exchange my copy of 300. Went back to the Slim Depths.... every single one on display had issues with bowing. As a joke, I called a sales guy over and said I was interested in the sets but was leery because of issues regarding bowing and had he heard of or seen this problem first hand... his answer was no. Meanwhile, we are both looking at a 61" with a little bowing and a major tilt. I didn't call him out, just thought it was funny....

Seriously, anyone considering the 76's needs to just go look at the 56's. I love my 6756W.

Are you sure about that? I asked an owner to list the size specs and they match up nearly perfect to that of the 6176.

CRH07xx,

Weren't you the one that I was comparing specs with the other day? Can you look back a few posts and verify what Joey is saying about the sets depth?

I remember pasting in info from the Samsung site. I don't think they were close at all on depth though. My 6756W is way deeper than the 6176S. I'll look back....


Here is what I pasted in from their site:

61" = 55.1" x 35.8" x 11.5" (inch), 74.1 lbs

67" = 62.4" x 44.2" x 17.8" (inch), 97.9 lbs

Greetings from a fellow burger.

I picked up my set at the monroeville CC.

Cool! I live out by Cranberry. Do you know of any high-end audiophile stores in the Pittsburgh area? I think there used to be one in Squirrel Hill. Know of any others?

Cool! I live out by Cranberry. Do you know of any high-end audiophile stores in the Pittsburgh area? I think there used to be one in Squirrel Hill. Know of any others?

Cool beans..

I'm not sure.. how high.. high is lol... but i know of 2 that are'nt cc/bb type... one is across from Sheetz in monroeville.. forget its name.. the other is butches sound shack up in Natrona Heights.. there also used to be a decent one down in greensburg, where i bought my first digital receiver in 1999.. they sold alot of yamaha stuff.

probhog.was that a pm he sent you? where is the thread.We can send some backup for you,I beleive most all of these tvs have the issue,but dont think 90% of the people see it,sammy lucked out on the shock and awe of this tv and its pq quality,so most never will. Im keeping mine though for the price and picture I still dont think it can be beat. but i still think its bs that a tv in this $ range has a tilt and bowing issue. I think sooner or later there will be a fix.

I posted the thread. Its the Samsung vs Sony comparison thread on the top of the 1st page.

I remember pasting in info from the Samsung site. I don't think they were close at all on depth though. My 6756W is way deeper than the 6176S. I'll look back....


Here is what I pasted in from their site:

61" = 55.1" x 35.8" x 11.5" (inch), 74.1 lbs

67" = 62.4" x 44.2" x 17.8" (inch), 97.9 lbs

Yes the 56Ws apparently are built more like the HLS series. Its very clear that the slim DLP idea is not working.......JVC has it...Mitsu has been reported to have some aswell...almost any slim DLP.....Maybe next year.

In the meantime I will definitely be going for the 6156W w/stand for 1900. Yeah its deeper, but I don't care because now I will have the best PQ with 0 bowing issues.

Sony can't accept 1080p through component, and apparently their PC input is not the best. That rules out sony for me. I only have a 360 premium with component.....and I want to hook my alienware up to a tv and get a great picture.

Man this is great news. YOU GUYS SHOULD REALLY LOOK INTO THIS SERIES! You saw CRH07xx pic and I SAW at Sam's Club it on display...FIRST thing I noticed when the black bars came on the screen during an upcoming preview was that I could NOT see ANY bowing AT ALL!

I currently have the 5076s. Is there a better model with the same pic for near the same price that I shoud look into? I only have slight bowing (REAL MINOR) but am worried about long term.

Yes the 56Ws apparently are built more like the HLS series. Its very clear that the slim DLP idea is not working.......JVC has it...Mitsu has been reported to have some aswell...almost any slim DLP.....Maybe next year.

In the meantime I will definitely be going for the 6156W w/stand for 1900. Yeah its deeper, but I don't care because now I will have the best PQ with 0 bowing issues.

Sony can't accept 1080p through component, and apparently their PC input is not the best. That rules out sony for me. I only have a 360 premium with component.....and I want to hook my alienware up to a tv and get a great picture.

Man this is great news. YOU GUYS SHOULD REALLY LOOK INTO THIS SERIES! You saw CRH07xx pic and I SAW at Sam's Club it on display...FIRST thing I noticed when the black bars came on the screen during an upcoming preview was that I could NOT see ANY bowing AT ALL!

That is great news. The Samsung is a mighty fine set, outside this flaw. Of course, someone on another thread is claiming we're just blowing this out of proportion and that we simply don't understand such basic concepts such as sample size.

I currently have the 5076s. Is there a better model with the same pic for near the same price that I shoud look into? I only have slight bowing (REAL MINOR) but am worried about long term.

I'm sure they make a 50" model of the 56W series. Same PQ. Actually better PQ if you minus the bowing.

I think the model no. would be HLT5056W, am I right?

Hey guys.. if you had to pick another 61-65" tv that looked just as good as this Samsung, which one would you go with? (Say the $1800-$2400 price range)

Pondering my alternative options.. I was considering the Sony 60", but the pc input isn't so great.. I also have to keep the vertical height less than 36", though I wouldn't be heartbroken to make some adjustments if it were over this, but its not ideal.

The toshiba 65" was the right height, but i didnt think the PQ was as good.

I have that bowing issue as you know.. but I'm wondering if its worth dumping the tv over.. I tried to take a snap of a screen where you can see it.. note the oblivion screen, lower left and right corners.. Is it bad enough that most of you would say nah to this tv? I'm not so sure.. I may take another snap with a menu bar, where its easier to see, but I think you can kinda see it here

Cheers

Sony can't accept 1080p through component, and apparently their PC input is not the best. That rules out sony for me. I only have a 360 premium with component.....and I want to hook my alienware up to a tv and get a great picture.


Wrong... check out the Sony a3000.

Wrong... check out the Sony a3000.

Wrong about what? the component accepting 1080p or PC input? or both?

Regardless the samsung has the superior PQ and now it appears I have found one without the bowing.

Can't wait!

RETURN THAT TV - I never had bowing on the bottom of the 3 sets I went through, the top is where my issues were. I am 100% sue if you swap it out 1-2 more times you will end up with a proper unit. I know it sucks, but I do know you can get a proper unit.

Oh I intend to... either way, though.. the store brought out another unit.. same issue.. I then asked them to check their units at the store, prior to coming out 50 times, they claim they all did the same thing.. even the LED ones (maybe they just said this to avoid making return trips).. So I was trying the Tech route on Tues, if that fails, I'll probably have them bring me one or two more then give up and switch tv's (b4 sept 18th hits).


I asked a friend to look at that image i posted, he couldnt tell, but thats probably not the greatest example.

Wrong about what? the component accepting 1080p or PC input? or both?

Regardless the samsung has the superior PQ and now it appears I have found one without the bowing.

Can't wait!

He's referring to the fact the A3000 accepts 1080P over component and VGA now.

Joey, etcetera,

Do we have an owners thread for the 56W yet? If not, perhaps we should start one. I think many people here may be intrigued if this is indeed a set that can produce Samsung's good picture without the problems with geometry.

Joey, etcetera,

Do we have an owners thread for the 56W yet? If not, perhaps we should start one. I think many people here may be intrigued if this is indeed a set that can produce Samsung's good picture without the problems with geometry.

Yes, there is one... I have been posting over here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11404461#post11404461

Can someone run down a list of models that are UNAFFECTED by geometry? I bought my 5076 @ amazon and am looking to possibly exchange as my 30 days is nearly up.

My local Costco doesn't have a 6156w, only the 6756w, which is too large to fit in my media alcove and also puts me overbudget. I haven't checked Sam's Club, but I don't have a membership there anyways.

I was thinking of getting the 57" or 65" Toshiba, but I'm a bit concerned that they're already discontinued, and Toshiba is exiting the DLP market all together. Its also difficult to compare the Toshiba's picture quality with the Samsung's in-store, and I haven't talked to anyone who's directly compared the two here in the forums. It seems like the Toshiba may not have as nice a picture though.

I have the same sentiment as markm75. My 6176w DOES technically have bowing, but its so minor that I can't tell, or hardly can tell, from reasonable viewing distances. On the other hand, both the picture quality and price are hard to match. I've decided to return the set mainly due to it's startup issues (angry bee noises while the TV makes multiple attempts to turn on the lamp), but the flimsiness of the case just doesn't seem right either.

I'd also like to know if anyone's seen other TVs in the same price range with comparable picture quality. Sounds like some people have mentioned the Sony A3000 sets but they cost $1000 more than this Samsung. Otherwise, anyone know when the next models are due to be released?

I was thinking of getting the 57" or 65" Toshiba, but I'm a bit concerned that they're already discontinued, and Toshiba is exiting the DLP market all together. Its also difficult to compare the Toshiba's picture quality with the Samsung's in-store, and I haven't talked to anyone who's directly compared the two here in the forums. It seems like the Toshiba may not have as nice a picture though.


I'd be interested in the 61" samsung vs 65" toshiba direct comparison if anyone has done this.

Did you guys notice issues with with fluctuating brightness in your samsung sets? I still need to schedule a pick up time for my TV's refund with Amazon, but I've still got it hooked up until then. What I noticed is when watching a show, the TV will seem suddenly brighter in certain seens compared to others. I have dynamic contrast, DNIe, and all that image processing off except for auto noise reduction. Its especially noticeable with closed captioning on, as the solid white letters (on translucent black background) seems brighter and whiter in some scenes compared to others. I noticed this mostly while watching OTA HD last night (CSI and the likes)

I'm wondering if its just me, if the TVs are just like that, or if its related to my already failing TV.

Hey guys.. new question.. I think i saw a spec that the hl-T6176S that i currently (still have) is hdmi v 1.3 (or is it 1.3a.. it appears 1.3a adds support for TrueHD, but I thought this was standard on all versions?)? Is this correct?

If so.. what is gained from 1.2 moving to a 1.3? Is it just deeper colors (or is this only on 1.3a) or something I read?

I'm concerned as I just bought 2 HDMI cables (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=2504&style=&seq=1&format=3#specification)which are only 1.2a's.. Not sure if it would be worth it for me to go get 2 new ones that are 1.3x?

Thanks

"Official" "Why you don't need HDMI 1.3" thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=789994)

I'm now seriously thinking of switching my bowed Samsung to a 65" Toshiba 65HM167 (instead of the 60" Sony A602000)..

I saw many threads where some have said the Toshiba 65" looks at least as good as the Samsung..

Can anyone confirm/deny this, before i jump off the deep end one more time :)

I'll be "returning" my CC 2 year warranty ($213) for a Mack one or a RepairTech one (anyone know which is better) with bulb warranty, i'm assuming you can call for a new bulb anytime (up to 2x).


Actually.. after reading the Toshiba thread.. it sounds like the 65" has alot of SSE going on? I'm not sure if more or less than the Samsung though?

Anyone have any comments?
Thanks

Hey, do any of the samsung LCDs accept 1080p through component? and if not...is there another HDTV that does besides sammy DLPs?

Does anyone have theirs hooked up to a Direct TV HR-20 High Def DVR? What are u using? 720p or 1080i?

I have mine hooked up to the H-20 and set it to native seems to work well although there isn't a lot of
GREAT quality HD programming yet. When I did try 720p vs. 1080i there wasn't a lot to choose one over the other again the programming doesn't take advantage of the sets capabilities.

Just got a replacement for my flimsy HL-T6176S, another HL-T6176S. It appears that Samsung is listening to its customers and has attempted to fix the problem. Mine appears to have a much stronger cabinet and thicker rubber feet. You can no longer easily distort the picture by just putting a little pressure on the cabinet. It now is as strong as most of the projection TVs out there. It still has a slight bow but nothing like it was before.

If you don't mind me asking, what's the manufacture date of your set? Mine should be arriving from Amazon in about a week and a half.

Yes, there is one... I have been posting over here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11404461#post11404461

What version of HDMI does that Sam's Samsung TV have? I'm pretty sure it's less than 1.3 (some may care about that). Thanks.

Just got a replacement for my flimsy HL-T6176S, another HL-T6176S. It appears that Samsung is listening to its customers and has attempted to fix the problem. Mine appears to have a much stronger cabinet and thicker rubber feet. You can no longer easily distort the picture by just putting a little pressure on the cabinet. It now is as strong as most of the projection TVs out there. It still has a slight bow but nothing like it was before.

Wow, that would be great news if it is universally true and you didn't just happen to luck out and get a better constructed TV. :)

Yes, that would be nice.

Just got a replacement for my flimsy HL-T6176S, another HL-T6176S. It appears that Samsung is listening to its customers and has attempted to fix the problem. Mine appears to have a much stronger cabinet and thicker rubber feet. You can no longer easily distort the picture by just putting a little pressure on the cabinet. It now is as strong as most of the projection TVs out there. It still has a slight bow but nothing like it was before.


This is great news.. (I was going to switch to toshiba, but after directly comparing quality, i said NAH :)...

I still have a Samsung tech coming Tues to do the mirror adjustment, plus 18 days left for store return/swap too..

Did you get your replacement tv directly from Samsung? What is the version number on the TV? Mine is Ph01... I may just need to keep having CC bring me TV's till they bring one of those better made ones, or perhaps contact Samsung about that possibility..

As I have had a little more time look at it, here are some of my observations. The old cabinet could easily be distorted by putting light pressure on the bottom or sides of the cabinet and you could fix some of the bowing with shims placed underneath the TV. I would have kept it but it smelled like it was burning up. The replacement TV is not burning up nor does it have significant bowing at the top, bottom or sides of the screen. However, it shows a good amount of bowing away from either side near, closer to the left side and closer to the center of the screen. This is very noticeable when using the PC input but not that bad when watching movies. It seems that the screen itself is bowed and the direct cause of the bowing in the picture. While watching the Giant's game tonight I noticed that there was a black space of about 1/2 inch at the bottom of the screen. The picture was not fully filling the screen. I put very slight pressure on the top of the screen and the picture moved down. The space has re-appeared by itself. It seems that the screen itself is somehow moving. I guess I will be getting my third one soon, since the store will not let me get any other brand due to this one being a warranty replacement.

Curious on something.. i noticed with the component cables and my xbox 360.. that if i'm in the dashboard.. and i look closely.. the letters in the dashboard are not super sharp.. kinda fuzzy..

Is this the same with the VGA cable? If the VGA makes things perfectly sharp, like a PC.. I'm thinking I may just go VGA afterall.

Haha! I just remembered that I am going for a 61" HDTV to put in my 12x12 bedroom haha! I mean I have room for it...but I hope its not overwhelming...dint seem to be AT ALL at the stores.

My question is this though. With so much trouble with bowing do any of the Samsung LCDs support 1080p through component?

What other HDTVs DO support 1080p through component? Just incase.

As I have had a little more time look at it, here are some of my observations. The old cabinet could easily be distorted by putting light pressure on the bottom or sides of the cabinet and you could fix some of the bowing with shims placed underneath the TV. I would have kept it but it smelled like it was burning up. The replacement TV is not burning up nor does it have significant bowing at the top, bottom or sides of the screen. However, it shows a good amount of bowing away from either side near, closer to the left side and closer to the center of the screen. This is very noticeable when using the PC input but not that bad when watching movies. It seems that the screen itself is bowed and the direct cause of the bowing in the picture. While watching the Giant's game tonight I noticed that there was a black space of about 1/2 inch at the bottom of the screen. The picture was not fully filling the screen. I put very slight pressure on the top of the screen and the picture moved down. The space has re-appeared by itself. It seems that the screen itself is somehow moving. I guess I will be getting my third one soon, since the store will not let me get any other brand due to this one being a warranty replacement.

GOOD LORD! IT NEVER ENDS!

I wasn't sure if this was a calibration issue, just the some HDTVs are, or shoddy Comcast bandwidth..

But often on some HD stations.. or if you come closer to the screen on alot of them, you can see a great deal of pixelation.. I'm guessing this is normal and a bandwidth issue..

I run my comcast box at 1080i (not 720p).. I have a Samsung HL-T6176S 61" slim DLP where i notice this.. I also have a 24" 1080P Westinghouse PC/TV/monitor.. and you can see it there too..

They were playing Lord of the rings (Vol II) on TNT HD.. I could see the pixelation in the darker areas alot at a times (on the 24" sitting 18" away) and on the 61" if you look closer..

Any thoughts on this.. or is the norm?

Also.. if i were to stick in an HD-DVD of the same movie at 1080p or even 1080i.. would I still notice this?

I'm running HDMI on the 61" and component on the 24" (at same time from same dvr).

Thanks

yeah it is very slight, i am going to get another but i fear this may be as close to perfect as I will get

Did you do the adjustments yourself on your TV? If so can you post how?

I wasn't sure if this was a calibration issue, just the some HDTVs are, or shoddy Comcast bandwidth..

But often on some HD stations.. or if you come closer to the screen on alot of them, you can see a great deal of pixelation.. I'm guessing this is normal and a bandwidth issue..

I run my comcast box at 1080i (not 720p).. I have a Samsung HL-T6176S 61" slim DLP where i notice this.. I also have a 24" 1080P Westinghouse PC/TV/monitor.. and you can see it there too..

They were playing Lord of the rings (Vol II) on TNT HD.. I could see the pixelation in the darker areas alot at a times (on the 24" sitting 18" away) and on the 61" if you look closer..

Any thoughts on this.. or is the norm?

Also.. if i were to stick in an HD-DVD of the same movie at 1080p or even 1080i.. would I still notice this?

I'm running HDMI on the 61" and component on the 24" (at same time from same dvr).

Thanks



update.. tonight watching Sunday night football on NBC.. i noticed a little pixelation in the background, kinda wiggling in and out if you will, you had to look for it.. on the 61".. so i decided to go into the other room where i have the Comcast feed going as well (same time).. via component in there (HDMI on the 61).. i could see alot in that room on a 24" HD Westinghouse screen.. much more noticeable.. same feed...

So I decided to try switching to hdmi, so i brought the LCD into the other room, plugged in the HDMI and there was significantly less pixelation and blockyness.. I thought most said they couldnt see a difference b/w component and hdmi (although here i was using both at once from same DVR, not sure if this matters, and on two different tvs but it was visible).

Well, after several weeks of trying to overlook the bowing on my HL-T5076, I've given up. It's going back to Amazon. Loved the PQ besides the geometry issue. Decided that even though I got a great deal on the TV, I'd rather pay more or wait for another deal to come along on a TV without this problem.

Well, after several weeks of trying to overlook the bowing on my HL-T5076, I've given up. It's going back to Amazon. Loved the PQ besides the geometry issue. Decided that even though I got a great deal on the TV, I'd rather pay more or wait for another deal to come along on a TV without this problem.

I made the call to amazon myself today.. 5076 babye... Think Im going Sony A2020 50 incher.

Well, after several weeks of trying to overlook the bowing on my HL-T5076, I've given up. It's going back to Amazon. Loved the PQ besides the geometry issue. Decided that even though I got a great deal on the TV, I'd rather pay more or wait for another deal to come along on a TV without this problem.

How does ordering from Amazon(online) work? Do they come pick up the tv if its defective? Who comes? Just fed ex.. must repackage everything? Free returns? Just curious, as for next time it appears I could save some dough by buying online (whereas CC comes, takes the tv, no box needed etc).

Cheers

Anyone know how durable the front screens are on these tvs.. ie: I originally bought the CC $213 2 year warranty (from date of purchase), it included accidental damage which was a bonus for me (2 kids, 4, 10 months)...

But I'm going to get the 3 year mack warranty which is really 4 total years, 3 on bulb.. there is no accidental on that.. i guess i'm mainly worried about something flying into the screen and how expensive the front part is to replace.. i would think it wouldnt be that expensive but i dont know.. or if i get a wii and someone forgets the strap, the sortof thing.

So now i'm waivering.. switch to Mack, stick with CC with damage control.. I still think the mack is a much better deal.

I'm having a new issue.. my tv no longer goes automatically to game mode when i switch to xbox 360.. in fact.. in any mode.. the info shows "Shop mode" at the bottom.. I cant seem to eliminate this.. Anyone run into this one? Does this require a firmware fix?

Hi, I am new to these forums and I was doing research on my Samsung HL-T5076S for the bowing issue. Sounds like its apparent in many peoples tv's I was just wondering who has had any luck getting one with no bowing when they've swapped it out for another?

So I just got a 5687 delivered to replace my bowed 5676. Unfortunately, it also has the bow. However, the bow on the 5687 was much more subtle. At first I didn't even notice it at all, but it seems to bow only at about the top quarter of the screen and mainly only on the left side. I thought it was just the placebo effect, so I debated with myself for several minutes while the delivery guy waited for me to sign off on it, but ultimately I refused delivery. I think I would be haunted by the bow for as long as I had the TV and I would always be searching for it.

Anyways, I think I'm going to go with a 50" flat panel instead as I don't really like the Sonys. I realize this is slightly off topic, but can someone recommend a plat panel TV that has two RF inputs like these Sammy RPTVs?

I made the call to amazon myself today.. 5076 babye... Think Im going Sony A2020 50 incher.


After seeing what 50" looks like in my living room with the 5076, at least I know I'm not going any smaller! It was also good to see the PQ a DLP is capable of. Most in store demo stuff is crap compared to free OTA HDTV. Now it's just a matter of waiting until something with build quality to match comes along.

How does ordering from Amazon(online) work? Do they come pick up the tv if its defective? Who comes? Just fed ex.. must repackage everything? Free returns? Just curious, as for next time it appears I could save some dough by buying online (whereas CC comes, takes the tv, no box needed etc).

Cheers

Well I just submitted the return claim yesterday. Today I called to find out the status and was told I'd receive a call within 1-2 business days about the return shipping method. They did tell me I would receive a full refund, as the defective unit was "their fault". I have the original packaging, so I plan on getting it ready to go.

Will update on how the return process goes for everyone considering purchasing through Amazon.

I have seen 3 HL-T5676S now at 3 different stores. Pulled up the service menu and looked at the alignment. They were all beautiful and perfect. I noticed everyone is returning there TV but I am not against fixing it myself. Does anyone know how to do this?

I have seen 3 HL-T5676S now at 3 different stores. Pulled up the service menu and looked at the alignment. They were all beautiful and perfect. I noticed everyone is returning there TV but I am not against fixing it myself. Does anyone know how to do this?

If your talking about the Bowing issue, it's no fix

I have seen 3 HL-T5676S now at 3 different stores. Pulled up the service menu and looked at the alignment. They were all beautiful and perfect. I noticed everyone is returning there TV but I am not against fixing it myself. Does anyone know how to do this?

I tried putting small folded up pieces of black electrical tape between the frame and the screen. It corrected the bowing in some areas, but just turned the mostly uniform bowing into a "wavy line" issue. Besides, it's just ridiculous to have to do something like that!

Has anyone confirmed that 1080p24 sources can play back on the hl-t6176S sets? If so.. what are they coming out at.. 60hz? Does this cause jitteryness in the image.. or could one even tell (is this the 3:2 pull down thing)?

Curious, as some of the HD and BD players state they do 1080p24.. I'd like to hook one up in the near future, hoping it is still 1080p.

I've be searching for hours for a good baseline for this particular set. Can anyone point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!

Update on my samsung tech visit/bowing.. In my case.. the HL-T6176S model.

The samsung tech guy came and as i expected, didnt do much to fix the issue. Again, my tv is bowed a bit in the lower left (about 6" up, 6" from the left, in a straight line from that point, which goes up about 1/2") and lower right.. He brought up the cross hatch pattern, attempted to adjust the mirrors (4 screws along the top of the set).. He did manage to get the cross pattern alittle better, but due to the nature of these slim sets, you cant change or pull up the middle part that bows, so the overall bow still remains.

He suggested I contact the manager at my CC and suggest he extend out my 30 days so I can have this unit replaced with a newer model that doesn't have these issues, possibly without paying the difference. I'm not sure if this model he mentioned is the same as the August 2007 manufacturing date one that pdbrains mentioned above? The samsung tech said its actually a new line.. the HL-X? This unit doesn't have the mirrors ontop and has better optics that help with geometry.

So in short, I'm hoping the CC manager will agree to this.. or if not, I'm willing to bet that Samsung will eventually replace my set either way. Overall.. the bowing isn't super bad, such that i cant use it .. i love the PQ so much on this set compared to any others I've seen (and the perfect fitting cabinet height, which in this size i cant find anywhere else at 35.5 inches) that I really dont want to go to a different brand. Although, the new cabinet may be higher for all i know.

Instead of complaining about all these bowing problems and returned sets on this forum, you need to be calling Samsung ECR department. Believe me they are not receiving enough complaints based upon experience in my area and all the information on the internet. I contacted the BBB and consumer affairs and filed a complaint. Swapping out TV's again and again is not going to fix the problem because there is no fix. I'm happy for the people that have a good set but those who don't need to let Samsung know whats going on. I'm sure all of you agree that this is ridiculous and alot of people have wasted alot of their personal time dealing with the geometry/bowing issue.

I checked the model number and it is still the same HL-T6176S, August build date. No X in the model number. The cabinet is definitely stronger except on top. My latest problem is that there is a half inch or more at the bottom of the TV where there is no picture, just dark. The picture does not fill the screen and if you gently push down on the top piece the screen seems to move and the picture fills the screen. Unfortunately the bowing becomes extreme when in that position. If you tap the edge of the top of the TV, it then goes back to having the space at the bottom with less bowing. The bowing is really severe over a few inches, so it is really noticeable especially when using the PC input. Just ordered my replacement that I really don't want, but right now there are no other TVs that I like since the Sony 2020 has been sold out and is no longer available. This TV replacement stuff is wearing thin, so I will probably just give up an keep the next TV even if it has problems.

My latest problem is that there is a half inch or more at the bottom of the TV where there is no picture, just dark.
It's easy to adjust the bottom of the picture. Loosen the four philips screws along the top rear of the set, then adjust the left and right slotted posts next to the screws to raise or lower the left and right bottom edges of the picture. Finally, tighten the four screws.

I checked the model number and it is still the same HL-T6176S, August build date. No X in the model number. The cabinet is definitely stronger except on top. My latest problem is that there is a half inch or more at the bottom of the TV where there is no picture, just dark. The picture does not fill the screen and if you gently push down on the top piece the screen seems to move and the picture fills the screen. Unfortunately the bowing becomes extreme when in that position. If you tap the edge of the top of the TV, it then goes back to having the space at the bottom with less bowing. The bowing is really severe over a few inches, so it is really noticeable especially when using the PC input. Just ordered my replacement that I really don't want, but right now there are no other TVs that I like since the Sony 2020 has been sold out and is no longer available. This TV replacement stuff is wearing thin, so I will probably just give up an keep the next TV even if it has problems.

Curious.. Is this August TV.. the same total height as the old style? IE: 35.5 inches or so?

If your talking about the Bowing issue, it's no fix

Ok, has anyone identified exactly what the problem is? I went through all the posts and people are saying its because of a weak cabinet. Hows the weak cabinet causing the problem? Anybody have a good explanation?

bryman55,
Here's one;
westa6969,
So far I've had 3 of these sets, all with this bow issue.



"The fact is ALL Samsung Slimline DLPs have this "bow" issue & cannot be adjusted by anyone."
This is a quote from a technician in my home from High Tech Video in Shellby TWP, MI after confering by phone with Samsung Service yesterday (8-23-07).
It is a design flaw & is well documented by Samsung Executive Customer Relations Department. And, as Samsung Executive Customer Relations Department is still advising complaining costomers to seek service, it appears they are in denial because they are not communicating with their own Samsung Service Department who says it is NOT servicable.
The problem is the plastic screen has a slight parobolic contour caused by a tight fitting, non-reinforced frame. This screen is fairly flat near the frame, but grows parabolic in shape in the center. The reflected light from the rear mirror hits the screen from a downward angle to the parabolic shape screen causing a downward sag or "bow" in the image. Samsung Service has offically declared any bow that measures 7mm (.2756" or just over 1/4") or less "acceptable".
I will concede that under normal viewing it's hardly noticable until a watching a football game or anything with straight lines side to side accross the center of the screen. All one has to do is put the channel guide or adjustment menus on the screen to see the bow with great clarity. I would imagene this bow drives gamers nuts with all the curved graphics.

bryman55,
Here's one;

Derg great explanation. In my lamen terms, I noticed the screen of my HL-T5076S is flexed which creates the curved lines. This does not bother me with full 1080 movies or HD programs. It does bother me during the channel guides, games, SD channels and some sport programs. I'd bet Football would be very noticeable.

I have not exchanged mine yet, I've had it since. Sat. the 25th. I did not know about this issue till after the fact. I love the Slim Line looks, the tv is very light, fits great on my tv stand. After slightly pressing on the top of my cabinet I noticed the screen display will adjust but once I take the pressure off it's back to the curved lines, I find this unacceptable. I really cannot find another tv on the market with as good of a display for the price. I think I will give it another chance hoping a swap will work but I'd hate to be kicking myself in the butt down the road it is just slightly too bad for me to deal with.

Ok, has anyone identified exactly what the problem is? I went through all the posts and people are saying its because of a weak cabinet. Hows the weak cabinet causing the problem? Anybody have a good explanation?
A good way to check is to take a straightedge almost as wide as the screen and put it against the screen. You can see the amount of screen bulge. Push the screen flat with the straightedge and the image will straighten.

Mine has an 1/8" bulge which results in 1/4" curved horizontal lines at the left and right edges in the center portion. The curves do not show when viewing letterbox or 4:3 material. It does not bother me since I con only see the bowing when the channel guide is onscreen.

I like my 56" so much I just bought a 61" for the bedroom, picking it up today! The lightweight thin case, 10 inputs and the fabulous picture and low price do it for me, and i'll only need to keep one spare bulb.

DERG, Swegen, shinka,

Thanks for the reply...

I performed the bulge test and luckily I do not have any bulge. Maybe I do not have the same results as everyone else? I don't really have a "smiley face". My curvature is more like the following:

\__________/

This demonstration is exaggurated. The center lines are all straight all the way up. And as you go up the screen the outside angled lines diminishes. The very top area of the picture is perfectly straight. I would say that the up curve is sharp (similar to the example) . They start about 3" inches and curve up 1/4" of an inch. And again as you move up the screen its less pronounced and it approaches being a straight line.

Could this possibly be a just a mirror adjustment?

So I changed my mind and decided to go for another 5687. I got it delivered today and it is flawless. I just thought I'd mention this in case there are other people looking for alternatives to the 76. The 87 seems to have the same great PQ but without the bowing issue. Some people claim the 87 isn't as bright as the 76 because of the LED but I haven't been able to notice (I'll look for this some more tonight).

Hopefully this has ended my HDTV purchasing adventure...

DERG, Swegen, shinka,

Thanks for the reply...

I performed the bulge test and luckily I do not have any bulge. Maybe I do not have the same results as everyone else? I don't really have a "smiley face". My curvature is more like the following:

\__________/

This demonstration is exaggurated. The center lines are all straight all the way up. And as you go up the screen the outside angled lines diminishes. The very top area of the picture is perfectly straight. I would say that the up curve is sharp (similar to the example) . They start about 3" inches and curve up 1/4" of an inch. And again as you move up the screen its less pronounced and it approaches being a straight line.

Could this possibly be a just a mirror adjustment?

bryman55,
Take a look at this HLT5076S. (see attached Bow.jpg) The left side is somewhat like your illustration. Note that the center is where most of the bow occurs. If your set is bowed top, bottom or both, there could be a service adjustment for that. At least that's what my last service guy said.
HTH

Has anyone ever had any problems with color blotchiness? I just got this tv last week and hooked up it to Time Warner HD via HDMI in Manhattan. The HD stations are much clearer than SD but there are definitely still color problems. I haven't been able to try the TV out with any other source except for a computer (briefly though). There appears to still be a problem. I have even tried using component cables from the time warner box but the problem still exists. The problem is worse with dark colors and shadows on faces. It is almost as if there isn't enough color depth. The graduation from one color to the next is very very poor.

Are there any settings that are actually going to fix this or should I call up the techs?

I don't have access to a blu ray or HD DVD player or else I would have tried one of them on this tv.

Please help. Also, I have the TV set to movie mode and have adjusted it to the basic settings as recommended by people in this forum.

Thank you.

Curious.. has anyone compared the Sony 60" A3000 to the 61" Samsung Slim DLP (either HL-T6176S or HL-T6186S)? I'm wondering if this new sony, blows that set out of the water, or if they are about the same.

Considering my geometry issues, I've considered going Sony.. (originally wanted the A2020 or A2000)..

Is there anything 1080p wise that the Sony 3000 has that the Samsung's dont? IE: I was under the impression the samsung's could take a 1080p24 signal... but it gets converted to 60? Does the Sony convert this signal to 120 (and this looks better than on the Samsung then?)

EDIT: 24p, 60hz, 120hz, are all these in HZ or is 24p completely different and only just frames per second.. 120 isnt frames per second too?

Thanks for any info.. As BB has it now for around $2600, looking more and more like the better choice (despite my love for the PQ of the Sammys).

(I still dont have an update from the Samsung people just yet either, so in the meantime, i'm brainstorming other thoughts).

How does ordering from Amazon(online) work? Do they come pick up the tv if its defective? Who comes? Just fed ex.. must repackage everything? Free returns? Just curious, as for next time it appears I could save some dough by buying online (whereas CC comes, takes the tv, no box needed etc).

Cheers

Update on Amazon.com return process for those who are interested:

Received the following email Wednesday, after submitting the return request on Sunday:

Thank you for contacting us at Amazon.com.

I am sorry to hear that this television arrived damaged.

Since your order was shipped via Eagle Freight, our specialty
shipper for oversized parcels, I asked them to contact you to make
arrangements to pick up the Samsung HLT5076S 50" UltraSlim 1080p DLP
HDTV and return it to us for a full refund.

You can expect them to contact you in the next 2-3 business days. If
you need to contact Eagle regarding your shipment for any reason,
you may call their toll-free number and provide their customer
service representative with your tracking number.

Before you call, please keep in mind that after we file your pick-up
request it may take an additional 24 - 48 hours before it is visible
to an Eagle agent.

Track Number: ********
Phone Number: 1-800-592-7489

Because the item was damaged, we'll pay for the return shipping
costs.

When we receive your return, we'll issue a full refund and send you
an e-mail confirming the refund amount.

Additional charges may be assessed for large TVs returned with any
missing items, such as owners manuals, remote controls, and
accessories. Please remember to return these items along with your
TV. Also, please have the TV unboxed and ready for inspection, this
includes dismounting it from the wall or removing it from a TV stand.

At the time of pick-up, Eagle will inspect the TV and ask that you
sign a return slip indicating why your are returning it.

Thanks for shopping at Amazon.com.

*****
WHEN WILL I GET MY REFUND?
Returns of oversized items through our specialty shipper can take up
to 4 weeks receive and process. If you haven't received your refund
notification within 4 weeks from the date your return was picked up,
please write back to us using the link below so that we can
investigate further:

Hi, first post here :).

I have an HL-T5676S (56") and mine looks exactly like the set that DERG posted above. I noticed it on the first day I got it (last weekend) when I was pulling up the Comcast guide. Since I have noticed it on other things as well (ESPN ticker, some games ect.) and to be honest it is not really bothering me enough to take the set back or demand a repair at this point because when I am watching HI-Def TV or a movie there is NO WAY you can tell that there is a little bow in the TV, it is only noticable when gridlines of some sort are on the screen.
For the people on the fence about getting one of these TV's just ask yourself if you really care if your cable guide is a little bent at the ends.

Some people are going to really care alot about this and that's cool I understand, but I only paid $1300.00 for this set and to be honest the picture is INSANE and if I have to deal with a little guide bending I can deal with that.

IF they get a sure fix for it then no doubt I would call them up ,but for now it's not worth all the fuss.

One question I do have is does anyone else still see rainbows on these new DLP's?
This is my first DLP and I do see them from time to time. I am hoping this does not get worse for me or goes away, if it does get worse then THAT might be a deal breaker.
I thought there was NO rainbow with the new sets?

Hey.

I received my HLT-5076S last night. It is, of course, bowed. A Samsung tech is scheduled to come out, possibly today. I'll keep you posted how that goes.

I think bowing is unacceptable. Any TV that cost over $1000 should at least have straight lines.

I think the best thing everyone can do is to not settle. Call Samsung, let them know this is ridiculous and demand it be fixed. If we don't care, they won't care.

whitesoxwin, thanks for posting Amazon's return policy for TVs.

Hey.

I received my HLT-5076S last night. It is, of course, bowed.


And they had the gall to question me why I advise people to simply avoid this set. If I had a nickel for every person like you that came on here and said that.....:(

Can anyone double check me on this one.. but this set the HL-T6176S, doesnt do 1080p24 at 120hz (like the Sony A3000), but 60hz instead right? (a 3:2 pulldown)?

Hi, first post here :).

...
For the people on the fence about getting one of these TV's just ask yourself if you really care if your cable guide is a little bent at the ends.

Some people are going to really care alot about this and that's cool I understand, but I only paid $1300.00 for this set and to be honest the picture is INSANE and if I have to deal with a little guide bending I can deal with that.
...


The problem with mine was that while yes, the bowing was most noticable with grid lines, or tickers (annoying enough), it was also noticable in tv/movie viewing when there was some horizontal surface that should have been more or less a straight line. (horizon, long table surface, streets, etc etc.)

I just can't justify spending $1300 on something like that. Btw, I've purchased an Optoma HD70 DLP front projector to replace the Samsung. A little more than half the price after rebate and I find I'm much happier with a 100" screen (even having it projected on my wall temporarily).

I just bought a Samsung 5076S. The color,tint, contrast, etc. is all messed up. Is there any recommended settings? I've seen some on here, but in the detailed settings it has the individual colors as well and all are set to 15. I tried some recommended settings from previous posts, but it's still lacking something. When watching ESPN, whether regular or HD, the grass on the field doesn't look green and the reds are not showing up very well either.

Should I get a calibration DVD or something like that? Any recommendations or suggestions?

Thanks.

I'm now on my 3rd Samsung tech regarding the bowing issue. The 1st tech called me and said there was nothing he could do to help me. The 2nd tech said I lived too far away for him to come service the TV (21 miles?!?!) The 3rd tech (who is 31 miles away) agreed to help. I'm awaiting his call hoping he has some ideas.

The Samsung representatives I've talked to all agree that a bow that is 5mm or less from straight is acceptable, anything outside of that is outside of spec. I measured mine at 14 mm from straight.

I will say that all of the Samsung reps have been eager to help and very understanding of my frustration. It's actually been a positive experience dealing with their support line.

I'm attaching a picture to illustrate my woes.

On another note, I went to Circuit City last night. I was reminded of why I bought this TV. Side by side comparisons of the HLT-5076 with others of it's class such as the Sony A2000 leave no room for doubt..... The 5076's PQ is heads and tails above everything else in this DLP range. However I will say I did notice a slight bow in the 5076 (much less severe than mine) and the Sony was dead straight.

On another note, I went to Circuit City last night. I was reminded of why I bought this TV. Side by side comparisons of the HLT-5076 with others of it's class such as the Sony A2000 leave no room for doubt..... The 5076's PQ is heads and tails above everything else in this DLP range. However I will say I did notice a slight bow in the 5076 (much less severe than mine) and the Sony was dead straight.

Once I caught wind of the 60A3000 from Sony.. I went to best buy.. it was right next to the LED version of this tv.. I was sold.. Sony it would be for me (IMO).. I thought, at least compared to the LED, the viewing angles were very good, the picture quality was outstanding..

So, unless I have issues with this Sony when it comes in a week, I will probably stick with it.. downside is its higher 38 7/8", meaning i will have issues placing my center speaker. If i have issues... believe it or not, I will probably just go back to this lamp based 61" bowing tv (and maybe get lucky and get one that isnt bowed/deal with techs till they replace it), but hopefully the Sony will be flaw free.

The 120HZ ability (which the Samsung doesn't support) for 1080p24 is supposed to be outstanding (BluRay, HDDVD) too.

(I'm not bashing the Samsung in any way, btw, its PQ was very good as well, minus bowing.. in fact I'll miss that extra 1" (not joking) lol )..

Hey.

I received my HLT-5076S last night. It is, of course, bowed. A Samsung tech is scheduled to come out, possibly today. I'll keep you posted how that goes.

I think bowing is unacceptable. Any TV that cost over $1000 should at least have straight lines.

I think the best thing everyone can do is to not settle. Call Samsung, let them know this is ridiculous and demand it be fixed. If we don't care, they won't care.
I have been saying that throughout this thread. Apparently, people are just not calling because to SAMSUNG ECR this isnt a big issue. All they say is that if your geometry is less than 7mm off then your fine. That is totally UNACCEPTABLE.

I'm now on my 3rd Samsung tech regarding the bowing issue. The 1st tech called me and said there was nothing he could do to help me. The 2nd tech said I lived too far away for him to come service the TV (21 miles?!?!) The 3rd tech (who is 31 miles away) agreed to help. I'm awaiting his call hoping he has some ideas.

The Samsung representatives I've talked to all agree that a bow that is 5mm or less from straight is acceptable, anything outside of that is outside of spec. I measured mine at 14 mm from straight.

I will say that all of the Samsung reps have been eager to help and very understanding of my frustration. It's actually been a positive experience dealing with their support line.

I'm attaching a picture to illustrate my woes.

On another note, I went to Circuit City last night. I was reminded of why I bought this TV. Side by side comparisons of the HLT-5076 with others of it's class such as the Sony A2000 leave no room for doubt..... The 5076's PQ is heads and tails above everything else in this DLP range. However I will say I did notice a slight bow in the 5076 (much less severe than mine) and the Sony was dead straight.



Well in my defense your picture seems to be WAY worse than mine.
I'll try to get a pic up.
Is Circuit Citys return policy 14 or 30 days??
Just in case...I still think I am keeping it though.

Here is mine.....better than I lot I think.

88477

I ordered my 6176S from Amazon on the 24th and it arrived today. The box off the Eagle USA truck was in perfect shape. No scrapes or dents. The driver and I set it up in about 10 minutes and I signed-off on it about 15 minutes later. Neither of us could see any of the distortion problems others have suffered through. I thought maybe I got one of the "redesigns", but when I looked the manufacture date was May 07. After messing with it for a couple hours this afternoon I finally got it to show some distortion. When I put SD video in stretch mode, the bottom banner on CNBC showed some up-bending on the left and right side of the screen (only in the area that was normally black). When I put it back in normal mode it completely disappeared. The SD picture looked so bad stretched that there really was no reason to keep it in that mode anyway. So that's it. I could make it distort, but only in an unwatchable mode. Guess I got lucky.

A couple of positive notes:
1. The picture in HD is flat-out amazing. Madagascar was on HBO HD this afternoon and the picture looked almost 3D. Way better than my old HLN5067W.
2. The contrast is crazy good compared to my old set.
3. I love the new remote. I just wish I could find the remote code to operate my Motorola DCT3416. Anyone?
4. The new menu's are fantastic. Makes the old menus look like DOS.
5. Love the quiet fans. My old set was really noisy before the bulb died.

Negative:
1. The speakers suck BIG-TIME! Sometimes it's nice to watch the news at night without cranking-up the HT. Oh well.


Overall I’m extremely happy with this television. If I could reset the clock a week I would still buy this model.

here is a pic of my HLT-6176S with no bowing. The slight tilt is from my camera and the pic came out worse than the TV looked, but you can see the lines are straight. I really love this TV. I will try to get one of ESPN bottom line which is very straight on mine

88509

88510

here is ESPN and a football game. I can't seem to take a completely straight picture as it looks a little tilted but isn't in reality.

I getting ready to build a DEDICATED computer for my Home Entertainment System. This computers PRIMARY FUNCTION will be to play 1080i / 1080P movies from my Hardrive out to my HL-T6176S Via the HDMI OR COMPOSITE input whichever I need to use.....

#1 - What specs on my VIDEO CARD do I need to look for to make sure I can play these movies..??

#2 - What is the MAX resolution a HL-T6176S can display and is it listed on the spec sheet anywhere??

#3 - Has anyone here connected their HL-T6176S to their computer, if so what hardware are you using and how are your results??

Any links or info is greatly appreciated....

Paul

PS. So far i'm VERY pleased with my HL-T6176S.

Well I went to brandsmart today. I look at the sony 55 A2020 RIGHT NEXT HLT5676S. Same feed and all. The sony look great, BUT at certain scenes I could DEFINITELY see the inaccurate primary colors on the sony....where the samsung NAILED it.

Anyways I also looked at the samsung LCD 65F series. The guy was real cool and whatnot and told me whenever I am ready...He will sell me the HLT6176s for $1698! He also told me he would sell me the samsung LCD 4665F for under 2 grand. I got his name and number.

lets check this again. where I live...

Best buy:HLT6176S $2599.
BrandsMart with this cool dude:HLT6176S $1698

And the LCD cost me 2700 at best buy too!

I should have a direct comparison via bluRay player and the movie "300" on both the Samsung 61" and a 60A3000 within a few days hopefully, in case anyone was interested in the whole 120hz vs 60hz on 1080p24 comparison.

Btw.. this weekend if you purchase a tube from BB, they will match it for 60 days, not 30.

Well I went to brandsmart today. I look at the sony 55 A2020 RIGHT NEXT HLT5676S. Same feed and all. The sony look great, BUT at certain scenes I could DEFINITELY see the inaccurate primary colors on the sony....where the samsung NAILED it.

Anyways I also looked at the samsung LCD 65F series. The guy was real cool and whatnot and told me whenever I am ready...He will sell me the HLT6176s for $1698! He also told me he would sell me the samsung LCD 4665F for under 2 grand. I got his name and number.

lets check this again. where I live...

Best buy:HLT6176S $2599.
BrandsMart with this cool dude:HLT6176S $1698

And the LCD cost me 2700 at best buy too!


BrandsMart.. what is that? Is that some store that any BB will price match with.. or just in your area?

Cheers

I should have a direct comparison via bluRay player and the movie "300" on both the Samsung 61" and a 60A3000 within a few days hopefully, in case anyone was interested in the whole 120hz vs 60hz on 1080p24 comparison.

Btw.. this weekend if you purchase a tube from BB, they will match it for 60 days, not 30.
I'm anxious to see what you think about this side by side test.

I'm anxious to see what you think about this side by side test.

I'm guessing i wont have both in the same house till Friday.. BB said they'd have to call me back on scheduling, but based on their website, friday is the earliest.. i'm impatient as you can tell :) I'll give both my best guestimate. (I may also try tomorrow to goto the store and see if BB would hook up a bluray to each set in the store, i think they do this for you, but not positve). (I did find out they PM for 60 days during this labor day weekend though)

Well it appears I am going to give up the sammy after all. I can get past the bowing issue but I can't get past the rainbows :(.
Seems I am sensitive to them I guess. Anyway I think I will be happy with the SXRD 55a2020. I love the color of this set but my eyes feel like they are going to kill me after a few hours in front of this set. I have had to take Advil 3x today and I never get headaches.

Bummer.....it's going back tomorrow I think, and I got such a great deal on it $1300.00 :(:(

BrandsMart.. what is that? Is that some store that any BB will price match with.. or just in your area?

Cheers

They have the best prices period...AND THEN some! theres a good amount...but I believe all are in Florida.

Well it appears I am going to give up the sammy after all. I can get past the bowing issue but I can't get past the rainbows :(.
Seems I am sensitive to them I guess. Anyway I think I will be happy with the SXRD 55a2020. I love the color of this set but my eyes feel like they are going to kill me after a few hours in front of this set. I have had to take Advil 3x today and I never get headaches.

Bummer.....it's going back tomorrow I think, and I got such a great deal on it $1300.00 :(:(

Yeah Brandsmart had the 55a2020 for $1398.

All they say is that if your geometry is less than 7mm off then your fine. That is totally UNACCEPTABLE.

I completely agree. Unacceptable. I measured the geometry of mine. It's 14 mm from straight. So, maybe I'll have some success in getting help.

Maybe you all already know this, but I did a test and realized that the actual screen is bowed, which causes the image to bow. So all they have to do is replace the screen with one that's a little stiffer or something.

I'm expecting a tech to come out next week. We'll see what happens.

I finally went to Sam's Club and saw the HL-T6156W there. I didn't see any bowing and the PQ was really good. It's somewhat expensive at nineteen C notes and noticeably thicker than the xx76S TVs. At this point, however, I'm leaning toward Mitsubishi's 734 line since it has no bowing, 6-color wheel, and HDMI 1.3. Decisions, decisions ...

Well I went to brandsmart today. I look at the sony 55 A2020 RIGHT NEXT HLT5676S. Same feed and all. The sony look great, BUT at certain scenes I could DEFINITELY see the inaccurate primary colors on the sony....where the samsung NAILED it.

Anyways I also looked at the samsung LCD 65F series. The guy was real cool and whatnot and told me whenever I am ready...He will sell me the HLT6176s for $1698! He also told me he would sell me the samsung LCD 4665F for under 2 grand. I got his name and number.

lets check this again. where I live...

Best buy:HLT6176S $2599.
BrandsMart with this cool dude:HLT6176S $1698

And the LCD cost me 2700 at best buy too!

For those who don't have a BrandsMart near them, the Big River site has the 6176S for not much more than BM. Many of the reviewers there, like here, are complaining about the bowing picture. That is really scaring me off, otherwise I'd be all over this Samsung.

I just purchased the hlt6176s from my local video/audio store , they matched the Big river price. Looking for calibration setting for this set.

Well I took the Sammy back this morning and got the Sony SXRD 55A2020. Got it home and set it up and .............:eek:....wow.......:D.
I am soooo glad I did this, the housing is so much more solid, all the lines are straight, the color is right on, picture quality is fantastic and I have not touched a setting yet. Also my eyes don't feel like they are going to fry out of my head. I'll post more after tonight, going to watch it some more now.
Oh and the 360's games all looked better on it too, don't ask me why, can't figure that out. All I know is that this thing SCREAMS quality.

Occasionally when I turn on my unit (which happens to have great geometry...lucky I guess) I hear a very high pitched sound for 2-3 seconds while it powers on. Any idea what this might be?

Anyone tried watching the 300 on BluRay and had any RBE issues?

Anyone tried watching the 300 on BluRay and had any RBE issues?

This is not my direct comparison on 120hz on both the samsung and sony just yet.. but a little preliminary result:

I actually went ahead and hooked up the Sony BDP-S300 Bluray player to the HL-t6176S set that i still have.. I noticed a few things.. the source shows 24p.. the tv info does show @60 (not 120hz or virtual 120hz etc.. someone thought the tv info should show the source rate, but i think this is the tv rate).. I know the tv info must be showing what the tv is operating at, not the source, since the Bluray player shows 24p as the source.

I'm viewing the 300.. i also notice even on BluRay it has the horizontal bands on the top and bottom, I guess again, there is no way to avoid this due to the format of the original source.

Lastly, particularly in some of the opening scenes I notice alot of "pixelation" in the background behind the person on the screen.. I'm certain it is set to 1080p as well.. and I believe the tv is pretty well calibrated. (though overall the picture is pretty sharp)

Thus far, unlike folks with the LED set.. i havent noticed any rainbows, though in general i never have before.

Anyone else have thoughts on these?

This is not my direct comparison on 120hz on both the samsung and sony just yet.. but a little preliminary result:

I actually went ahead and hooked up the Sony BDP-S300 Bluray player to the HL-t6176S set that i still have.. I noticed a few things.. the source shows 24p.. the tv info does show @60 (not 120hz or virtual 120hz etc.. someone thought the tv info should show the source rate, but i think this is the tv rate).. I know the tv info must be showing what the tv is operating at, not the source, since the Bluray player shows 24p as the source.

I'm viewing the 300.. i also notice even on BluRay it has the horizontal bands on the top and bottom, I guess again, there is no way to avoid this due to the format of the original source.

Lastly, particularly in some of the opening scenes I notice alot of "pixelation" in the background behind the person on the screen.. I'm certain it is set to 1080p as well.. and I believe the tv is pretty well calibrated. (though overall the picture is pretty sharp)

Thus far, unlike folks with the LED set.. i havent noticed any rainbows, though in general i never have before.

Anyone else have thoughts on these?


As menioned elsewhere, i supose even if i do have the sony side by side to my 6176s or an LED.. i probably wont see a huge difference on the motion side of things.. as each set has its own implementation and emulation of 24p.

I also did some side by side visual comparisons of 1080i comcast 300 and the 1080p bluray.. honestly, maybe im just not trained to see it, but i couldnt see a "huge" difference.. I think i noticed as I got closer to the set a little more pixelation, but from the standard 15 foot distance from the 61" set.. if you weren't looking i dont think you would realize 1080i vs 1080p, at least with the 300..

Anyone else want to chime in on this one...

What i'd really like to see now, is a dvd version at 1080i and compare.

Short of seeing that motion test side by side, believe it or not due to height restrictions and the desire to not worry about bulb life, assuming the motion is held equal.. i'm actually thinking of changing my BB order from the sony to the LED version of this tv. :O

Wow wow wow!!! I should have read the posts here first before I made the purchase on Amazon. Going to see if I can cancel my order before it is shipped.

I don't want to risk getting the tv only to find out it has the "bowing" effect. I am going with the 42" Aquos LCD from CC.

I actually went ahead and hooked up the Sony BDP-S300 Bluray player to the HL-t6176S set that i still have.. I noticed a few things.. the source shows 24p.. the tv info does show @60 (not 120hz or virtual 120hz etc.. someone thought the tv info should show the source rate, but i think this is the tv rate).. I know the tv info must be showing what the tv is operating at, not the source, since the Bluray player shows 24p as the source.I don't know what your BDP-S300 Bluray player is doing or showing. I can tell you that the only information the Samsung remote "info" button will provide you is the resolution and refresh rate of the input signal. :)

You can always get confirmation by calling Samsung, but that's been the case since 2002. There is no need to provide the display resolution or refresh rate because microchip (DLP, LCD, and LCoS (SXRD)) RPTV sets always display one and only one (native) resolution and refresh rate. It's also true for flat panel displays. That's just the way they are built.

I am not sure why people are bent on using 300 as a video test film. It was purposefully constructed to look like a video game and in fact they went out of their way to make it look pixelated and have a wierd tecture to it. The first third of the movie is OK at best, while the second two thirds are terrible.

You should get another movie to test instead of 300.

I am not sure why people are bent on using 300 as a video test film. It was purposefully constructed to look like a video game and in fact they went out of their way to make it look pixelated and have a wierd tecture to it. The first third of the movie is OK at best, while the second two thirds are terrible.

You should get another movie to test instead of 300.

I agree. "300" has intentional graininess (esp. HD-DVD version) that would not make ideal for critical visual testing.

Well, I picked up the hlt6176s, I am on my second one. The first one bowed on the right side so I took it back and this one bows on the left bottom to middle side, it is about 19mm higher on the left than the right. I am going to be taking this one back this coming weekend, I have no time to do it this week. I have to say the picture quality on HD is awesome and the Tv is completely silent but it does bow. I am very happy I bought this tv locally so trying to find one that is within spec is not painful process.
I am crossing my fingers and hoping the 3rd set will be bowing free, because I have seen these sets with straight lines. For the size and price I am willing to waste some gasoline, boxing and unboxing time to find a good set. When I get #3 this coming weekend I will post the results.
Also when I brought the first tv back the salesman said this is the first one he has seen come back to the store with bowing problem, so if that is true I have hope.
1st set: July 2007
2nd set: June 2007

I agree. "300" has intentional graininess (esp. HD-DVD version) that would not make ideal for critical visual testing.

Yeah.. after watching 1/2 the movie.. i get this impression.. oh well.. shoulda grabbed Casino Royale.. but i had already seen it, wanted to pay for something i hadnt seen yet :)

update to my bowed 6176S.. no more issues!..

well.. that is because i went to the LED version, low and behold, no bowing with this set! Very nice Geometry. I was originally going to go Sony a3000, but it was about 1" too high for my center, short of modding things greatly, so i went LED, plus.. for 7 hours a day, 20000 hours.. or about 7.5 years.. i shouldnt have to change a bulb :)

So far, i'd say the picture is on par with the lamp version, maybe a little less.. the wife even said it didnt look as sharp.. I have to see which firmware i have, not sure if updating that will help with this issue. I'm using the avical settings, tweaked slightly.. all in all i guess i'm happy with it. Viewing angles to my surprise seem the same if not better in some cases, maybe due to the set sitting higher up (higher veritcal size than the lamp).

Hopefully with some tweaking or maybe even a Samsung tech call i can get it fine tuned.

We showed some pictures via the Wiselink control tonight. Did not read the manual and had a bit of trouble finding out how to make it work and noticed the wiselink functions on the menu map, then later found the button on the remote.

Anyway after getting it to work we were overwhelmed by oversaturated colors. Pressing the menu button did not do anything and we cannot find out how to adjust the colors. Probably want to start with movie mode or something.

Does anyone know how to control the colors in Wiselink?

update to my bowed 6176S.. no more issues!..

well.. that is because i went to the LED version, low and behold, no bowing with this set! Very nice Geometry. I was originally going to go Sony a3000, but it was about 1" too high for my center, short of modding things greatly, so i went LED, plus.. for 7 hours a day, 20000 hours.. or about 7.5 years.. i shouldnt have to change a bulb :)

So far, i'd say the picture is on par with the lamp version, maybe a little less.. the wife even said it didnt look as sharp.. I have to see which firmware i have, not sure if updating that will help with this issue. I'm using the avical settings, tweaked slightly.. all in all i guess i'm happy with it. Viewing angles to my surprise seem the same if not better in some cases, maybe due to the set sitting higher up (higher veritcal size than the lamp).

Hopefully with some tweaking or maybe even a Samsung tech call i can get it fine tuned.

Good for you on defeating bowing. So which LED did you get, 87S or 89S? Enjoy your new TV. :cool:

Now that I've had all 4 techs say the same thing: "There's nothing we can do to fix it. Get it replaced." I'm done. The PQ is great, but the bowing is plain unacceptable.

So, I've made arrangements to return it to Amazon and I've ordered the Sony Grand WEGA KDS-50A2020.

Good luck with the bowing everyone, but it sounds like it's a losing battle.

yep, maybe...I'll be getting new one soon

I always thought 300 looked pretty dogg on sick on the sammy DLPs.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02109lb1.jpg?t=1188934895

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02097tb2.jpg?t=1188934983

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02073oz5.jpg?t=1188935016

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02088ho8.jpg?t=1188935063

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02079fh0.jpg?t=1188935090

Or maybe I dont fully understand what you mean by grain..

Now that I've had all 4 techs say the same thing: "There's nothing we can do to fix it. Get it replaced." I'm done. The PQ is great, but the bowing is plain unacceptable.

So, I've made arrangements to return it to Amazon and I've ordered the Sony Grand WEGA KDS-50A2020.

Good luck with the bowing everyone, but it sounds like it's a losing battle.

I hear ya...but, take a deep breath & listen to a man who did what you're considering.

In the store I thought Sony & Samsung were about the same, but, went with the Samsung because I though it had more punch in the PQ (DLP vs LCOS).

I started with an HLT5076 then swapped it for HLT5676 because of bows. It had bows too, so, fed up, I swapped it for Sony's KDS50A2020. But, it had problems too; like navy blue black levels that a tech couldn't fix. At least I didn't notice the bows most of the time but the navy blue black backgrounds were noticeable in EVERY movie we watched & that bugged me 100x more than bows! Another thing was I could never match the Sony to the sharpness of the Samsung. I cranked up all the edge enhancements just to get it close. I then swapped the 50A2020 for the HLT5076 again.

So, IMHO, & with the experience of having both in my home for several weeks of viewing, the HTL5076, bows & all, has a better picture.

:) Now, while I'm plucking the feathers out of my teeth from the CROW I just ate, (& just moments before I get showered with hate mail from all the Sony fans out there), remember; it's IMHO. Maybe the larger screens are comparable but with 50's the Samsung is sharper, deeper blacks & not over saturated color.

So, I'm going to tough it out. Samsung has agreeing to replace this set in a few weeks. Yeah, it's a slow process but I figure why make BB replace it when Samsung is at fault? After all, shouldn't Samsung be the one to feel our pain?;) When they grow tired of replacing it, they'll find a more agreeable $olution!

We'll find a good one one of these days. :)
HTH

Good for you on defeating bowing. So which LED did you get, 87S or 89S? Enjoy your new TV. :cool:

87S..

having one issue.. seems that my stand may be too high at 25.75" and then we sit back 16 feet.. if we perk up 6".. i can see the "haze" over the top 3rd of the set kinda fade away, its not huge difference, but there is some :(

Geometry is perfect though.. just a brightness issue, despite calibration. I'm hoping a tech may fix this when they come this weekend.. hoping its not really my stand (may sound trivial to replace but its not)

I always thought 300 looked pretty dogg on sick on the sammy DLPs.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02109lb1.jpg?t=1188934895

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02097tb2.jpg?t=1188934983

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02073oz5.jpg?t=1188935016

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02088ho8.jpg?t=1188935063

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x235/TheLastName/dsc02079fh0.jpg?t=1188935090

Or maybe I dont fully understand what you mean by grain..


By sick.. do you mean good or bad? :)

I have a question for everyone on my HLT-6176. I got into the service menu to try and turn overscan off and couldnt find an option. On my old 6187W I found it and turned it off. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have a question for everyone on my HLT-6176. I got into the service menu to try and turn overscan off and couldnt find an option. On my old 6187W I found it and turned it off. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
You just press the Psize button on the remote until it says 'just scan'.

By sick.. do you mean good or bad? :)

Look bro the movie looks great. I'm telling you this forum has you guys asking for perfection...and even if its given you...you refuse to believe and find some minute detail thats wrong or off and come here and complain about it.

A the bowing is not one of those minute details. Its a Problem. Anyways....

Simple question. I have a budget. $2200. I got a deal for $1698 on a 61" 1080p HDTV DLP, but if you add a 2 year warranty and I need a stand which can cost me 250 or more I don't have much left for a home theater system. So if I move down to a 56" I could prolly get a deal for like 1398 (Brandsmart rocks!) or something like that I could afford a HTIB. So my question like I said is simple...

61" 1080P HDTV to go with my PS3/blu-ray player and 360?

Or

56" 1080p HDTV along with Onkyo HTS790 HTIB?

It will be in my 12x12 bedroom.

Look bro the movie looks great. I'm telling you this forum has you guys asking for perfection...and even if its given you...you refuse to believe and find some minute detail thats wrong or off and come here and complain about it.


Actually, quite the contrary, from many other posters on here, and I now agree, this movie doesn't really look that great.. it was made that way intentionally, more like a video game type look.. some have stated, first half looks good, second half is terrible.. but at any rate.. a better movie to test systems on may be Casino Royale.

I was gonna jump ship to the Sony 2020 or 3000, but really like the picture on my 5076s and the bowing is not that bad. Its about 3/8" or so. Thats about 3/8" too much, but I plan on going through Samsung to replace / repair it until they get me a better model, or fix this geometry. :)

The picture is just, BY FAR, the best for the money!

Now that I've had all 4 techs say the same thing: "There's nothing we can do to fix it. Get it replaced." I'm done. The PQ is great, but the bowing is plain unacceptable.

So, I've made arrangements to return it to Amazon and I've ordered the Sony Grand WEGA KDS-50A2020.

Good luck with the bowing everyone, but it sounds like it's a losing battle.

I just replaced mine with that Sony and I love it. I don't have any color or screen issues and everyone in my family says they like the picture better. I liked the Sammy's picture but I can honestly say I like the Sony's better.

I'm getting real tired of you guys keep using the line..

"Samsung DLP is just the best PQ FOR THE MONEY" You say it as if there is another tv out there with a noticeable superior PQ than a samsung DLP....But I never see or hear of this tv....could someone please tell me what TV REALLy does have the best PQ....since you obviously know....Cus thats what I want to buy...no matter how much it is...where is this legendary unnamed HDTv with better PQ than samsung DLP and the Sony series????

I have been following this thread for a couple weeks. Despite the problems, I decided the HLT-5676 was the set I wanted. So, I went out today an bought it. What a mistake. The first thing I noticed was the "smiley face." It is unacceptable. I wish that was the only problem though. The first thing I plugged in was my Xbox 360. I was blown away by the picture quality. At least until the picture went out and the three flashing lights come on. Now it does nothing. I tried unplugging it. This was my first HDTV purchase and it worked for about 30 minutes before dying. What should I do? The Sony A2020 is looking better and better.

I'm getting real tired of you guys keep using the line..

"Samsung DLP is just the best PQ FOR THE MONEY" You say it as if there is another tv out there with a noticeable superior PQ than a samsung DLP....But I never see or hear of this tv....could someone please tell me what TV REALLy does have the best PQ....since you obviously know....Cus thats what I want to buy...no matter how much it is...where is this legendary unnamed HDTv with better PQ than samsung DLP and the Sony series????

I can only comment on the Samsung/Sony. I really, really wanted the Samsung. In comparing side by side in 2 stores, the 55 inch Sony A3000 and HLT were virtually identical. The brightness of the HLT was a little more, but it could have been adjustment. What sealed the deal for me was the text on the A3000. When looked at side by side, with the same size screens, the A3000 text was CLEARLY sharper, and by a large margin.
Maybe Samsung will get it right next year. :(

Well, it looks like I'll soon retire from this thread. Last night, I got a Mitsubishi WD-57734 DLP TV. I'll set it up tonight. :cool: Good luck to you 76S'ers.

I just replaced mine with that Sony and I love it. I don't have any color or screen issues and everyone in my family says they like the picture better. I liked the Sammy's picture but I can honestly say I like the Sony's better.

Thanks for that. All the reviews I've read have been great, even from CNET.

I just got HD hooked up to the HLT-5076 (Eagle should be out to take it away in a couple days) and MAN is that picture bright and beautiful. What a bummer!

While the DirectTV guy was hooking it up, he kind of awkwardly paused and said, "Uhhh, do you know you're TV is bowed." I laughed and said, yeah I'm sending it back, I've already ordered a new Sony. He looked relieved and responded, "That's good. I didn't want to say anything, but this is a cheap piece of sh*%."
Then he went on to say that the color and brightness was great, but the housing is super cheap, yada yada yada.

Anyway, he made me feel good about sending it back. Good luck to you all. I truly hope Samsung comes through for those of you who stick it out.

well i tried to make this a topic, but i'll go ahead and post this here.

i have a playstation 3 and everytime i play video games or blu ray movies, there is a line of colors (red, blue, green, i believe) that appear on the bottom of the screen. i have checked my hdmi cables, but they';re fine, so i'm assuming something is wrong with the tv.

also, my friend has the exact same tv. and just today, it wouldn't turn on. the temp/standby, timer, and lamp were all blinking. he got his barely 6 months ago.

If neither one of you got a tv that had the smilely face effect or wavey lines then feel lucky and just hope you can replace the light engine because if you replace this tv with another hlt 76ser then keep fingers crossed you do not get one that has curved lines. Give Samsung a call and make them send a tech out. I have read through this entire thread and haven't heard of anyone with your problem though.

I just registered here and I don't know if it's been mentioned in this thread yet. I just got my tv last Saturday and got the Comcast HD\DVR box hooked up on Wednesday. On the HD channels only, I have the black bars on the top and bottom. I have the box setup on 720p. Is there another setting on the box or the TV that can get rid of these without stretching the guide screen or the regular channels?

Thanks

Well I took the Sammy back this morning and got the Sony SXRD 55A2020. Got it home and set it up and .............:eek:....wow.......:D.
I am soooo glad I did this, the housing is so much more solid, all the lines are straight, the color is right on, picture quality is fantastic and I have not touched a setting yet. Also my eyes don't feel like they are going to fry out of my head. I'll post more after tonight, going to watch it some more now.
Oh and the 360's games all looked better on it too, don't ask me why, can't figure that out. All I know is that this thing SCREAMS quality.

Congratulations!! I have had my 2020 for almost two months now with no problems what so ever. Great picture and no geometry issues at all. Alot are jumping ship for the Samsung fan club even the original maker of this thread has jumped ship. I was all set to buy a Samsung after reading all the issues I went with the Sony. What gets me are the people that read post after post regarding this issue and still buy one then complain I have the bowing issue DUH!!! If I was dead set on buying a Samsung I would wait till this issue is resolved or wait till next year and maybe they will have their act back together. Before this they were number one in DLP quality way to drop the ball.. Shame on you Samsung..

My 6176 is showing me some lovely football games as we speak. I tried to get the screen off the TV to see about weaseling a fix to some of the floppy screen stuff, but could only get the upper part loose... I didnt feel comfortable forcing the release of the lower edge. Anyhow, with a single folded business card under the right front corner of the TV, and a small folded sliver of card along the front edge of the screen, my lines are all perfectly straight now. No complaints at all. I'm not saying that owners should have to do this sort fo thing to make their expensive high end TVs display correctly, but I like the Samsung package, and picture, and now I've fixed the geometry issue. I am bummed that Samsung didnt do a better job of building these things, and theres no excuse for the quality control, but never theless, I'm loving mine and it continues to dazzle everyone who comes over for movies, etc.

Well I took my smiley 6176s back and traded it in for a Mit 65733 and couldn't be happier, straight lines are glorious! Good luck to those who are waiting on Samsung.

Ok I got my HL-T5076S last week and if freeking bows at one side of the Screen... Got it at CC.. Love the picture alot! I am thinking about trading it in what should i get i need to be a 50 inch.. What should i get in place of it.. Need to stay in the same price range 1500.00 to 1700.00.. Please help.. I dont know if its worth gettin some one from Samsung out to my house to look at it.. I need to get this done quick before my wife kills me... :confused:

Got 3rd TV today, this one smiles on the right side only,what are you gonna do?I give.

CCtex get the 56" or go Sony

Hi All, just wanted to chime in here...I recentely purchased this set, replacing an old GWIII (sold it) which had it's own set of problems. I purchased it about 2 weeks ago from CC.

So far, no problems with this set...no bowing that can i see, great picture and easily connected my HTPC to it using the HDMI3/DVI input and have my old MSI 5900XT set to 1080P with new Nvidia drivers. Connecting my HTPC to this set was so much easier than with the GWIII which required me to go into the service menu to make changes.

The only issue I'm having is changing inputs with my old Harmony SST-659 remote. I cannot seem to get the Samsung to switch to the correct input. Ran through all the troubleshooting steps on Logitech's site, but no luck. Anyone else using a Harmony remote with this set and run into this issue?

Using a Harmony 676 here with NO problems. Works fine. Re-update your remote OR change batteries.

Radioflyer:

Try this http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11085585#post11085585

The key is to use method 2

Well I still have mine :( HH Gregg in my area hasnt' received their 60" A3000's yet to replace this set.

I did confirm last night that this TV doesn't do 1080/24fps. My HD DVD A20 received the new 24fps update the other night and the TV still dispalys
1080p/60 even though the player is feeding it 24fps.

Other then the terrible geometry the TV is holding up well. I picked up an Xbox 360 and hooked it up via HDMI and the picture quality is great and absolutely no gaming lag.

Bummer this TV has such issues because other then that I'd probably keep the set.

For those of you interested in the return process for Amazon.com, a quick update:

After a little hassle scheduling a pickup with a local contractor for Eagle, my 5076 has been returned. I recieved a full refund from Amazon two business days after the TV was picked up.

UPDATE to post #676.
CC finally got the point that the techs they sent out didn't know squat. After 1 week of CC's own techs looking at my pix, they finally agreed to give me an exchange :) Now, i need to know which set to get. I'd like to reuse the matching stand for the 5676s, but there's only about 4-6" of spare room on the surface/top. Which set should I get? The 6756w, 6176s, or 6156w?

Welcome me to the HLT6176S family. I just got this beauty home yesterday and did all the necessary hookups, stand building, and getting thousands of wires together and hooked up. (It felt like a thousand anyway) ;)

First impressions:

Blu-ray and HD-DVD look amazing! I can really tell the difference, especially compared to my old Panasonic Rear Projection TV.
Regular cable looks ok, channels change quick, menus are great.
Gaming looks great! Did a quick run through with the PS3, 360 and Wii, very impressive.
Text and detail are extra clear, this was a problem with my old Panasonic.
HD content looks fantastic!


I've read quite a few pages on this thread about the bowing problem, what is everyone using to see if there TV has this? I did a quick run through of menus, a football game, and the TV guide channel, basically channels with straight lines and I did not see anything. Also my TV was manufactured last month, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. Maybe it was corrected? Or I just got lucky?

What kind of bulb life is everyone getting with this set? Anyone have to replace there bulb already? Also does Samsung have a extended warranty? I bought the TV at Best Buy, but decided against the warranty, but I was thinking about it again as it does offer one replacement bulb. I bought a warranty with my last TV nothing happened so I was thinking it would not be worth the money. Thoughts?

I haven't really gone through all the color settings yet, are there any suggested settings? Also I've look all around the net and couldn't find out this answer: Does this TV support HDMI 1.3?

bulb life would be least of anyones problem with this boat anchor

Maybe your set has a fixed geometry. Mine is a few months older and it has very little geometry problems too but I think I just got lucky.

Bulb life seems variable. Plan on 2 to 3 years max based on users of the older sets.

The 76's do not have HDMI 1.3, only the 89's. No big deal since there is virtually nothing that can take advantage of it and probably won't for a number of years. You would also have replace all of your components and even with HDMI 1.3 I am not sure if they would support passthrough or not.

I need some help.

My TV started "rebooting" itself for no apparent reason. The screen goes blank - but the TV does not seem to shutdown - and then theres a high pitched sound while the green light on the lower right side is blinking. The image and sound then return after a few seconds and it sometimes happens again 2 or 3 times before it stays on. The TV is only a couple of months old.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance for any help.

Radioflyer:

Try this http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11085585#post11085585

The key is to use method 2
Thanks, I'll take a look.

bulb life would be least of anyones problem with this boat anchor

At barely 70 pounds, it's not much of a boat anchor. ;)

I have a dark spot on the top of my 6176 (which doesn't bow by BTW) that is only visible in very light scenes. It's not too noticeable and almost looks like the screen is dirty. It never changes shape or size. Could I have dust/dirt on a mirror/inside of screen? I'm real nervous about messing with anything inside, so should I try anything on my own or should I call a tech?

Beowolf ,it fails at that too!

well i just ordered a 5076. I returned a 5087 because of the prism problem. It had bowing and it didnt bother me so hopefully the 76 i get will be about the same and not too much worse.

I have a dark spot on the top of my 6176 (which doesn't bow by BTW) that is only visible in very light scenes. It's not too noticeable and almost looks like the screen is dirty. It never changes shape or size. Could I have dust/dirt on a mirror/inside of screen? I'm real nervous about messing with anything inside, so should I try anything on my own or should I call a tech?
Pop open the porthole on the back and see if the lens cover on the bottom has a smudge or dust bunny on it. You can reach in and wipe it clean with the cloth that came with the set.

Wow, all this time and still problems....well hey..

I am still gonna grab a HLT6176s or HLT5676s in the next 2 weeks if all goes well. See this so called problem face to face.

Hello folks,

I've browsed through this and many other similar threads. Due to the premature death of my Samsung 27" 4:3 HDTV (less than 5 years old), I ended up the market for a big screen sooner than I thought.

Initially I was going for the HL-T5075S, but my wife and I were disappointed in the picture we saw in-store. It had major geometry issues with vertical and horizontal lines; it also showed strange shimmering with some high contrast white lines & text. This week the HL-T5076S had a pretty good sale, so I was deciding between that and a Sony 50A2020 for about the same money. Looking at the HL-Txx76S models in different stores, it seemed that most of them had what appeared to be acceptable geometry, with one of the 50" models looking really screwed up.

We got the HL-T5076S and set it up last night. The geometry seemed in the bottom 30% compared to in store models; horizontal lines seems to be tiled counter clockwise a few degrees. I measured about a .5" rise across the bottom & top, which is around 12-13mm. Certainly out of spec compared to Samsung's 7mm standard. What surprised me is that the horizontal lines are even warped in the center of the screen. However, the vertical lines all appear to be very straight. When watching 4:3 content with vertical lines, I could not measure a difference between ends.

I don't know if I would attribute these issues entirely to the TV frame. The sides seem quite strong, and I could not affect the image by applying pressure on the sides. Certainly the image tilting is not due to the top bezel. The curvature in the center of the screen may be due to slight screen bulging, but that doesn't go away by pulling on the top bezel.

In any case, my wife and I watched the DVD Wild Hogs on my Pansonic RP82 progressive scan DVD player, which some may remember as a classic, highly regarded 480p DVD player with a Faroudja (sp?) chip in it. I was completely stunned. The image was flawless. I have not even touched the colors on the set, but I did turn off DNIE and set the image mode from Dynamic to Standard. The colors are all so pure, accurate, and intense when they need to be. To our eyes this TV is *plenty* bright, and we even turned the brightness down below 50. You cannot see any pixels, and there is of course zero screen door effect. The black bars on top & bottom (probably 2.35:1 content) just blend in to the background.

This is when I realized why most people never return their sets; in normal viewing, especially movies with complex imagery, you will very rarely notice a problem. In either case, I didn't know how good DVD could look, so that was above my expectations.

I hooked up my Dish Network SD DVR via composite video. The image looked pretty bad; basically it looked very blurry, which is not the TV's fault. Then I hooked up the S-video, and it made an improvement. We like to view normal TV in 4:3 mode, and the geometry issues are obviously less severe on this setting. After 10 minutes or so we got used to the PQ and it is fine.

The last thing I tested was my GameCube with component video cables. Wow! Very very impressive. Sure you can see some of the pixel lines, but the screen is completely faithful in presentation. I left it on game mode, though the difference is not immediately obvious.

So all in all, I am very impressed with the TV. We could live with the geometry issues, but I just may swap it for a new one at Circuit City in a few days. I am not inclined to switch to the Sony A2020.


-Cooper

Well last night I ended up tweaking the adjustment screws in the top-back of the TV. After loosening the 4 phillips head screws, I tweaked the two flat head screws. This very easily corrected most of the image tilt problem that I had. Now horizontal lines on the bottom of the screen are quite flat, except for the last couple inches on the right side. There is still some bowing of horizontal lines in the center of the screen, but seems less pronounced; I wouldn't be surprised if the TV is now "within spec" of 7mm.

I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping this TV. I am quite happy with the image now. On the other hand, anyone obsessive about perfect geometry should probably not buy a Samsung HL-T. It would be easier to just go for a Sony A2020 or 3000. Personally, I'm willing to sacrifice a little geometry for increased clarity and maybe slightly better color accuracy; no TV is perfect!

One oddity I noticed: after I activate the service mode of the TV, all my TV settings are reset! I do the Mute-1-8-2-Power sequence, check a test pattern, then turn the TV off. I wait a few seconds then turn the TV back on. All the inputs are back to "Dynamic" mode and my input names have disappeared. Is this normal?


-Cooper

cooper2112,
I believe that's normal. It does the same to my HL-T.

I went to BB today and they had a sammy LCD 4071f playing POTC DMC on Blu-Ray. I was wondering....the PQ was soooooo super clear and detailed I could see all imperfections on everyone....it was insane!! I have seen POTC part 1 on the HLt6176s but it was nowhere near!!! that sharp and detailed....so I am wondering...

Is that just the way POTC Dead mans chest looks on blu-ray? or is that that sammy LCDs 1080p 25,000:1 contrast ratio kicking in or something??? I swear I don't remember it looking like that on the sammy DLP.

It was like some kind of SUPER Hi-Res!!! Insane!

...
One oddity I noticed: after I activate the service mode of the TV, all my TV settings are reset! I do the Mute-1-8-2-Power sequence, check a test pattern, then turn the TV off. I wait a few seconds then turn the TV back on. All the inputs are back to "Dynamic" mode and my input names have disappeared. Is this normal?


-Cooper

Normal for all SS DLP's

Just hooked up my 6176. Lovin the settings I got from (read) here.

No bowing issues here. I bought a solid stand. Nice chrome / tempered glass combo by Z line designs. Solid as a rock. Still have to update the cable hook up so I can pick up the HD channels though. Coax doesn't seem to do it. Maybe it's the box or I need to try component cables (box to TV)

EDIT NEW ISSUE HERE: Watching Minn vs Purdue on ESPN through coax cable, SD channel There are blurs and blotches (darker green tones) blotchy throughout the turf field. These blotches move, disappear and reappear as the action movbes around. Any one know of the problem and if there is a solution? My settings are Movie etc as discussed on this thread. IS it my cable box,? the coax hookup?, the SD channel? Help. Thanks.

I know this information is already in the thread, but for those wondering about the screw adjustments:

1. These only affect the overall tilt of the screen, and mostly only the bottom.
2. There are 6 screws, all in a horizontal line, across the upper back part of the TV. The four phillips head screws secure the mirror in place once it's been adjusted, so they must be loosened first. You should be able to see a silverish metal behind them. The two adjustment screws are standard flat-head screws. They are bigger, and closer to the center, but I believe they're in line with the other 4.
3. Just a quarter turn of an adjustment screw will significantly alter the screen tilt at the bottom; I adjusted mine with a test pattern on the bottom of the screen so I could see immediately.

The very bottom of the TV is quite flat, but it starts to smile a couple inches up and continues past the middle of the screen. This looks to me like screen bulge more than anything, as pulling on the bezel doesn't fix the smiling much.

-Cooper

Well last night I ended up tweaking the adjustment screws in the top-back of the TV. After loosening the 4 phillips head screws, I tweaked the two flat head screws. This very easily corrected most of the image tilt problem that I had. Now horizontal lines on the bottom of the screen are quite flat, except for the last couple inches on the right side. There is still some bowing of horizontal lines in the center of the screen, but seems less pronounced; I wouldn't be surprised if the TV is now "within spec" of 7mm.

I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping this TV. I am quite happy with the image now. On the other hand, anyone obsessive about perfect geometry should probably not buy a Samsung HL-T. It would be easier to just go for a Sony A2020 or 3000. Personally, I'm willing to sacrifice a little geometry for increased clarity and maybe slightly better color accuracy; no TV is perfect!

One oddity I noticed: after I activate the service mode of the TV, all my TV settings are reset! I do the Mute-1-8-2-Power sequence, check a test pattern, then turn the TV off. I wait a few seconds then turn the TV back on. All the inputs are back to "Dynamic" mode and my input names have disappeared. Is this normal?


-Cooper

Yep. Great picture...poor geometry!
I'm curious about how you adjusted this. My service tech said he couldn't find these adjustment screws. Could you post a photo of the back of your set?
Also, you described this as an improvement of your "image tilt problem". Is this the same as the bow issue or did you correct a trapezoid image on your screen?

I just got a T5076S and I have not seen any geometry issues, or color problems. Yes I had to go in and turn all the color levels down just so I wouldn't blind myself in the BRIGHT picture this TV puts off.

My only problem, and I guess question is this... How in the world do I turn off the Automatic discovery mode for video sources. I can't get my HTPC to work right through VGA, because ATI's catylst control center won't let me enable the screen until I change over to that video source, and the TV won't let me change over to the source until I enable the video.

I do have a DVI to HDMI cable on order and on the way, but that will take a few days to get here. I want to test this TV out enough before the time expires on my ability to easily take the TV back.

Thanks

Anyone have an answer for this problem?

Watching Minn vs Purdue on ESPN through coax cable, SD channel ESPN2. There are blurs and blotches (darker green tones) blotchy throughout the turf field. These blotches move, disappear and reappear as the action moves around. Any one know of the problem and if there is a solution? My settings are Movie etc as discussed on this thread. Is it my cable box? the coax hookup?, the SD channel? Help. Thanks.

I am swapping out the old box for the HD cable box just to pick up some HD channels today. I wish Comcast had more than 15 or 16 non subscription HD channels though.